The government is presenting a new proposal to the teachers’ unions today in a meeting that commenced early this afternoon at the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI) facilities in Caparide, Cascais. The introduction of an additional benefit is the main new feature.
Last week, Prime Minister Luís Montenegro announced the extension, starting with the new school year, of financial support to all teachers assigned to schools more than 70 kilometers from their tax residence.
This measure anticipates the implementation of a compensation regime approved in March by the Parliament, opposed by the PSD and CDS-PP. It modifies the existing regime created by the government last September, initially intended only for teachers placed in schools lacking staff.
The extension of this support, however, was originally planned to take effect with the State Budget for 2026, commencing in January.
According to MECI, in the previous school year, 2,807 teachers placed in the 234 underprivileged schools benefited from travel support.
Starting in September, the ministry estimates that over eight thousand teachers will benefit, with an investment of around 25 million euros, as noted by Minister Fernando Alexandre in a statement.
For most eligible teachers, the amounts remain unchanged: 150 euros for those between 70 and 200 kilometers from home, 300 euros for distances of 200 to 300 kilometers, and 450 euros for over 300 kilometers.
However, unlike the Parliament’s March-approved legislation, the government now introduces increased benefits for teachers working in schools within regions designated as having teacher shortages.
In these cases, the teachers will receive an additional 15 to 50 euros, depending on the distance: 165 euros per month for under 200 kilometers, 335 euros for 200 to 300 kilometers, and 500 euros for distances over 300 kilometers.
Thus, according to MECI, the government maintains the “coherence of this public policy contrary to what was approved by the Parliament, which does not provide any additional incentive for regions with greater teacher shortages.”
In the meeting, which was still ongoing at 17:30 between the ministry and union organizations, Fernando Alexandre will also introduce other temporary measures to be applied in the 2025/2026 school year to address the issue of teacher shortages.
Teachers’ representatives have until Friday to submit their contributions on this matter.
