“At the moment, about 93,000 students are affected and the school year has already started,” stated José Feliciano Costa, secretary-general of Fenprof, highlighting the specific case of the first cycle, with more than five thousand children still without assigned teachers.
There is even a group in the Lisbon area where as of this morning, 12 first-cycle teachers are still missing, added Francisco Gonçalves, also secretary-general of Fenprof, during the press conference held today.
“This is a school year starting with more teacher shortages than the previous year,” reiterated José Feliciano Costa, emphasizing that “there is a lack of teachers, contrary to what the Minister of Education says.”
Minister Fernando Alexandre again assured that there are about 20,000 professionalized teachers not placed, with the majority living in the north, while the needs are concentrated in Lisbon, Alentejo, and Algarve. This situation led the minister to remind that teachers who agree to relocate to the south of the country will be entitled to a subsidy that could reach 500 euros.
The minister’s numbers were contested today by Fenprof, who assert that the “20,000” refers to applications, with teachers submitting more than one application: “In reality, there are 14,000 teachers,” stressed Francisco Gonçalves, also secretary-general of the National Federation of Teachers.
Furthermore, Francisco Gonçalves added, “there may be many Physical Education teachers available in the north, while schools need Geography teachers, for example.”
According to Fenprof, the situation can only be corrected when the government provides “clear signs” of an “upward revision” of the new teaching career statute, to make the profession more attractive.
José Feliciano Costa argued that the government’s proposal should meet Fenprof’s demands, which include salary and career appreciation, improvement of working hours, and support for relocation and settlement.
“Obviously, if this signal is given already in September, we could probably recover many of those 20,000 professionalized teachers who left the career in the last 20 years seeking stability in other professions, earning less but with more stability,” he said, referring to the start of union meetings already announced by the authorities to review the Teaching Career Statute.
