The resolution, approved at Thursday’s meeting, “authorizes the General Directorate of Higher Education (DGES) to incur expenses up to 27.2 million euros resulting from the signing of program contracts with Higher Education Institutions to encourage the training of teachers between the academic years of 2025/2026 and 2029/2030,” stated a communiqué from the Council of Ministers released today.
The measure had already been announced by the Minister of Education, Science, and Innovation on July 23, during a meeting with school directors from across the country to prepare for the next academic year.
At the time, Fernando Alexandre explained that the initiative would initially focus on areas with the greatest need (Lisbon Metropolitan Area, Setúbal Peninsula, and Algarve) and would involve funding the full costs of training for graduates in basic education and master’s degrees in teacher training.
“These program contracts aim to address the growing need for the recruitment of teachers and foresee the commitment of higher education institutions to annual targets regarding the number of graduates,” the Council of Ministers’ communiqué states.
In the same meeting with school directors, the minister shared the conclusions of a study diagnosing teacher needs, conducted by the New University of Lisbon, which estimates that, on average, up to the academic year 2033-2034, schools will lose around 4,000 teachers per year to retirement.
