Six teachers have resigned or were dismissed over the past three years following complaints related to moral/sexual harassment. The data covers the entire national territory and indicates that at least one was dismissed without leaving voluntarily.
The information comes from the Ministry of Education, which responded to an inquiry on the matter amid revelations that a teacher previously sentenced to eight years in prison for sexual abuse of minors was reassigned to a school.
This week, the ministry, led by Fernando Alexandre, explained that this year, “six disciplinary proceedings against teachers related to moral/sexual harassment have been initiated, which are still in the instruction phase”.
Currently, this number is less than last year, when seven cases were initiated. In their response, the ministry noted that in 2023, five cases were initiated, and in 2022, twelve.
“In 2025, concerning processes initiated in 2024, five dismissal sanctions were applied to teachers. Of the five processes initiated in 2023, no dismissals resulted, while one dismissal was applied from those initiated in 2022”, further detailed the ministry.
The Ministry of Education was also asked about other data, such as similar cases involving non-teaching staff or geographical distribution, but no response was received on these figures.
The Minister of Education stated today that the teacher sentenced to eight years for sexual abuse of minors and reassigned will not have contact with students, as the school must ensure this.
Lusa | 13:18 – 15/09/2025
Convicted Teacher Reassigned
Fernando Silvestre, a teacher of Moral and Religious Education, was convicted of 62 counts of sexual abuse against 15 students. At the start of the school year, reports indicated that this teacher had been reassigned yet was not teaching due to medical leave, though he could return at any time. Charged with 87 counts of sexual abuse, he was convicted on 62 counts and is currently appealing the decision. The victims were between 14 and 17 years old.
The indictment detailed that at the time of the incidents, occurring between 2014 and 2018, the accused was a teacher of Moral and Catholic Religion at Camilo Castelo Branco Secondary School in Famalicão, Braga, and also taught theater. He was accused of 87 counts of sexual abuse of minors aged 14 to 17.
The panel of judges noted that the victims’ testimonies were “absolutely credible, convincing, and even moving.”
The possibility of reassignment arose because the 54-year-old teacher appealed the conviction, now awaiting a decision from the Court of Appeal.
This is not the first time the teacher has been reassigned. Previously placed in Vila Nova de Famalicão, last year he was assigned to Póvoa de Varzim. Parents threatened to close the school, the ministry claimed there was no judicial decision for the case, and the teacher, then 54, went on medical leave. A month later, in October, he was convicted.
In addition to the conviction, the sentence from the Guimarães Court, now under appeal, includes a 10-year professional ban and prohibition from contact with minors.
