“We are neither facing a reform nor a reorganization. We are facing a dismantling of the Ministry of Education,” stated Francisco Gonçalves, the secretary-general of Fenprof, in statements to the Lusa agency.
The issue concerns the new structure of the Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation (MECI), announced on Thursday, which will lead to the dissolution of various entities to be integrated into new agencies.
The non-higher education system is set to see the most significant reduction. The current eight sectoral entities, which include three directorates-general, will be reduced to two major agencies: the Institute of Education, Quality, and Evaluation and the Agency for the Management of the Educational System.
In response to the changes, Francisco Gonçalves noted that a reform of the Ministry of Education was anticipated but admitted he did not expect “the scale of the cut.”
“We are practically talking about the extinction of all the directorates-general,” emphasized the union leader, acknowledging the need to review structures and improve operations, but also noting that this is a Ministry managing “over one million students, 150,000 teachers, and thousands of non-teaching staff.”
According to the secretary-general of Fenprof, the announced reform represents the central government’s relinquishment of responsibility, with the MECI assuming “a mere role as arbitrator, as regulator.”
“What led us to the universality of the right to education was, precisely, the Portuguese State assuming this responsibility as a whole, creating a public network and ensuring that all students in the country, whether inside or coastal, city or countryside, in more resource-rich or less resource-rich areas, have the same right not only to access but also to success in the public education service. The path we are taking today is the reverse,” he argued.
Regarding specific changes, Francisco Gonçalves expressed concern about the “deepening transfer of competencies to local authorities,” through delegation to regional coordination and development commissions, which will now have a vice-president for Education, tasked with overseeing the regional execution of national policies.
“We may start to have first-class and second-class education,” he warned, explaining that municipalities have very different contexts and equally distinct resources to meet needs.
Moreover, the secretary-general of Fenprof also criticized the dissolution of the General Directorates for School Administration and Educational Establishments, highlighting the consequences for competitions, staff management, and school network management.
