New challenges arise at the start of another academic year as Filinto Lima, the representative of school principals, and Mariana Carvalho, the spokesperson for guardians, emphasize the urgent need to revise the staff allocation rules in schools on the ‘Lusa Extra’ podcast released today.
“Many schools need more staff,” stated Filinto Lima, president of the National Association of Directors of School Clusters and Public Schools (ANDAEP), urging Education Minister Fernando Alexandre to update the outdated staff allocation policy in light of schools’ evolving missions.
Lacking sufficient staff, schools often ban activities, warned Mariana Carvalho, president of the National Confederation of Parent Associations (Confap), who also calls for an increase in non-teaching staff.
“We often ban activities because we don’t have operational assistants to supervise playgrounds; thus, playing with balls or running is prohibited. Lacking operational assistants in common areas leads to inaccessible play spaces and closed libraries due to insufficient resources. This resource shortage remains a significant issue in schools,” lamented Carvalho.
In the Lusa podcast discussing the school year’s start, Mariana Carvalho also advocated for creating specific career paths for school workers: “An operational assistant could work at the entrance, perform cleaning duties, support administrative tasks, or care for a child with special educational needs.”
Carvalho noted the specific deficiency of specialized technicians to assist children and young people, particularly in mental health areas.
Filinto Lima highlighted the absence of “hundreds of staff” across various areas, from therapists to IT technicians or staff supporting playground activities and specific student needs.
In the realm of special education, more therapists and special education teachers are also necessary: “We increasingly face more severe cases,” warned Lima, advocating for continued support for students with disabilities after compulsory education ends.
“Honestly, I am more concerned about the period following their eighteenth year. These students remain with us until they are 18 or 20 years old, showing significant progress, and parents generally express great satisfaction with the efforts of school professionals. The major issue arises post-12th grade when they transition to home life,” he cautioned.
Lima, teaching since the late 1980s, acknowledged progress but stressed that a gap exists for many after finishing compulsory education, urging the Government to develop a professional pathway for these young individuals.
“Often, no one is there to receive them. There are no places available in CERCI institutions for these students. I urge the Government to expand the number of attendees these institutions can accommodate because many transition from the Ministry of Education to the ‘Ministry of Home,’ and, unfortunately, many parents are then forced to leave their jobs,” he emphasized.
Between today and next Monday, classes commence for around 1.6 million students from preschool to secondary education, in a year again marked by a shortage of teachers, particularly in schools across Lisbon, Alentejo, and Algarve regions.
