Queried by the Lusa news agency about the conditions that teachers at these schools consider “absolutely essential” to withstand the cost of living in the countries where they work, the Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation stated that it has been analyzing “the situation in different countries, aiming to adjust working conditions to the geographical location of each school to ensure equity among teachers at different schools.”
The government views the EPE (Portuguese Schools Abroad) as “one of the most important cooperation tools of the State and essential for promoting the teaching and dissemination of Portuguese language and culture.”
In an open letter to the Minister of Education, teachers from the permanent staff at the EPE have requested measures they deem “absolutely essential” to survive the cost of living in the countries where they are stationed.
The signatories are calling for additional contractual conditions for teachers on these schools’ permanent staff, particularly “the inclusion of at least one annual round-trip to Portugal, for the teacher and their families, to maintain family and cultural ties” and a “subsistence allowance, equal to that of teachers on statutory mobility,” which they argue is “a fair and regular amount to offset the high cost of living” with rising inflation.
The teachers also demand health and work accident insurance, exemption from tuition fees, and registration with the Social Security Institute, retroactive to the start of their employment with the Portuguese State.
Additionally, the teachers are seeking enrollment in the public employees’ health subsystem (ADSE).
When queried about the government’s response to these demands, the Ministry of Education did not provide a direct answer but thanked “the effort and dedication of these teachers to the educational projects of these institutions despite the difficult conditions they currently face.”
Today marks the end of a two-day strike by teachers at Portuguese Schools in Timor-Leste, Mozambique, Angola, and São Tomé and Príncipe, organized by the Union of All Education Professionals (S.TO.P).
Through this protest, which the union describes as having “near-total adherence,” the teachers are demanding “equitable working conditions among teachers.”
Contracted teachers and those on the permanent staff at Portuguese Schools Abroad reportedly face “inferior working conditions compared to their peers in Portugal and their school colleagues on statutory mobility,” the union noted.
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