The exclusion of education from the political debate is worrying, according to Mário Nogueira, the Secretary-General of the National Federation of Teachers (Fenprof). He expressed concern over the severe issue of teacher shortages, attributing this to the devaluation policies of the teaching profession that have been in effect since 2006/07.
Speaking at a press conference following a national secretariat meeting at Fenprof’s headquarters in Lisbon, Nogueira highlighted his concerns about the absence of education discourse in the political arena, especially with legislative elections scheduled for May 18. He noted that the policies enacted by successive governments have exacerbated the sector’s challenges.
Nogueira elaborated on issues such as unemployment, job insecurity, frozen career progression, and altered working conditions, particularly disrupted work schedules leading to teachers working more than 50 hours weekly, far exceeding even previous burdens of 40 hours.
Further, he criticized policies by the PS, PSD, and CDS-PP for significantly changing retirement requirements, resulting in the exodus of thousands of teachers annually without the induction of new educators.
Fenprof also expressed disappointment that neither PS nor PSD responded to an invitation for a pre-election debate.
Nogueira criticized the AD program for only including a review of the Teaching Career Statute starting in 2027. He stressed the urgency of this revision to attract existing teachers, emphasizing the need for additional teachers by September for the upcoming academic year, not just in future years when the situation might become even more dire.
The union leader pointed out that, except for PS and IL, parties are largely advocating for the removal of restrictions on fifth and seventh salary steps while most, except for AD and IL, support full recognition of service time. BE, PCP, and Livre favor reviewing the evaluation process.
When questioned by Lusa about the Education Ministry’s audit concerning the number of students without classes, Nogueira admitted to having no information on the current status.
Fenprof has also committed to requesting meetings with parliamentary groups and the Ministry of Education following the new government’s inauguration and the establishment of the new Assembly of the Republic.
