The course is aimed at foreigners residing in the municipality who know English. The initiative is scheduled to begin in September and aims to "facilitate the learning and improvement of Portuguese, simultaneously contributing to a better integration of the foreign community into Poiares society."

The program is not new for the municipality; in a press release sent to The Portugal News, the municipality says the new edition continues an initiative that "has registered significant participation, counting, in the last school year, about seventy students from different countries." Highlighting the course's importance and demand, the municipality will "reinforce the number of training hours in the new school year," aiming to give participants "better conditions to develop their skills in the Portuguese language."

Credits: Supplied Image; Author: CM Vila Nova de Poiares;

Quoted in the press release, the mayor of Vila Nova de Poiares, Nuno Neves, says that “learning the language is one of the most important tools for those who have chosen Vila Nova de Poiares to live in. We want these people to feel truly integrated into our community, to communicate more easily in their daily lives, and to participate more and more in the life of our Municipality. Therefore, we are committed to continuing this course and reinforcing the response in the new school year.”

The municipality also reveals that registrations are now open and that “they can be made at the Balcão de Atendimento Único do Município or at the Municipal Library.” Residents can also contact the municipality at 239 420 850.