In a time of higher social tension, I want to thank you once again for all your dedication and commitment in the processes of social and professional transformation we are experiencing.
Our institutional response capability has been remarkable. This is only possible thanks to the great effort and hard work of all of you.
In the end of the first week after changing our teaching-learning model to fully e-learning we have had 881 teachers, 9768 online students and approximately 2 million online interactions in the moodle platform. And to this number we must add the other platforms and strategies also used in the e-learning process. Thank you very much to all of you!
I must thank all the services of the Polytechnic of Leiria, once again and without exception, for all the hard work and commitment that have been fundamental to maintain our activity and to honor our mission as a public higher education institution.
In this particularly difficult context, we have been accompanying our students in international mobility on a daily basis. With a remarkable assistance of our mobility and international cooperation services and in close collaboration with our ministry and the secretariat of state of the Portuguese Communities, 78 students have already returned. We still have 67 students outside the country that we are monitoring, with whom we are in permanent contact.
With the effort, dedication and commitment of all, we managed, in a very short period, to create the conditions that allowed teachers, investigators and technical staff to telework.
I also want to let you know that our student residencies in Peniche, Caldas da Rainha and Leiria are open. We have 120 students in our facilities. The canteens are open with take-away services in Leiria, Caldas da Rainha and Peniche. We are focused in a quality service and social responsibility, towards our community but also toward other needs that may emerge, namely considering the health professionals. To our “giant” professionals of the social services, that allow us to maintain this response, thank you, thank you so much! We will never forget your generosity and professionalism!
To finish, I want to share with you that the Polytechnic of Leiria has delivered to the Hospital of Leiria (Centro Hospitalar de Leiria) and to the Hospital of the West (Centro Hospitalar do Oeste) 5000 pairs of protective gloves, 100 pairs of surgical gloves and 600 face protection masks.
Within this challenging context, the assurance of normal institutional functioning depends on each and every one.
I would like to thank you all once again for your institutional commitment and resilience, urging everyone to rigorously comply with the recommendations of the health authorities.
At the moment , we don’t have notice of any case of COVID-19 in the community of the Polytechnic of Leiria. Protect yourself and your families!
Rui Pedrosa
President of the Polytechnic of Leiria