“A Fenprof (…) urges the government to invest in the creation of a public network of nurseries, integrated within the education system, and in the expansion of the public preschool education network, ensuring that no child is left without a place in public schools,” the federation states in a communiqué.
At the beginning of July, the government initiated a tender for association contracts to address the over 12,000 vacancies in the preschool education network, primarily in the Greater Lisbon area.
The 12,475 vacated slots are distributed across 65 municipalities, with the majority (8,965) in the Greater Lisbon region. There are ten parishes where over 200 spots are lacking, half of which are in the municipality of Sintra, and more than 30 where between 100 and 175 spots are needed.
The financial contribution is allocated per child, amounting to 208.05 euros, or 15,000 euros relating to the incentive for opening new classrooms.
“More than 42.5 million euros are handed over to private entities between 2025/2026 and 2027/2028,” emphasizes Fenprof, critiquing the government’s decision to resort to the private and cooperative sectors to address the issue.
Citing data recently released by the Directorate-General for Education and Science Statistics (DGEEC), Fenprof notes that for the academic year 2023/2024, the public network only catered to 54.6% of the needs, with 147,210 children enrolled.
“These numbers demonstrate the shortage of public network kindergartens, particularly in large urban centers, and consequently, the lack of places for preschool education,” the union organization asserts, reiterating the need to “ensure spots in the public network for all children in these age groups.”
In addition to preschool, the representatives of teachers and educators also advocate for the creation of a public network of nurseries, guaranteeing places for all children up to 3 years old.
