At the beginning of the year, the government announced that several schools could hire cultural and linguistic mediators to aid the integration of foreign students, whose numbers have doubled from 70,000 to 140,000 in the past two academic years.
A total of 287.5 mediators were to be distributed among 319 school groups (39% of public schools), but only 268.5 mediators (268 full-time and one part-time) were actually hired, according to information provided by the Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation (MECI).
For the upcoming school year, MECI has approved the hiring of 310 mediators, an increase of 22.5 from the previous year, to be distributed across 347 schools, with most allocated to Lisbon, Vale do Tejo, and then Faro.
“Thus, schools will have the option to hire the same or a higher number of linguistic and cultural mediators, and may choose to rehire the same individual or a different one, as deemed suitable,” the ministry stated.
In comments to the press, Filinto Lima, president of the National Association of School Group and Public School Directors (Andaep), praised the initiative but cautioned that more such professionals will be needed over time.
“We have thousands of children and students who are children of immigrants in our country, and their (mediators’) role in connecting with teachers is very important,” Lima emphasized, pointing out the need to significantly increase these positions by providing more working hours, as many schools can only hire mediators for 18-hour weekly schedules.
The presence of mediators in schools was brief, and many began their roles only by the end of the second term. However, Lima, who welcomed a part-time mediator in his school in Vila Nova de Gaia, noted the experience was positive.
“They did various types of work,” he noted, explaining that in addition to direct work with students and teachers, there were schools where mediators organized gastronomic events showcasing different cultures and involving parents.
“This is very important because it fosters a sense of belonging to the community. It’s an example I find to be a positive one,” he said, recounting that schools, exercising their autonomy, developed various activities, and some teachers even requested mediators’ support during classes.
The guideline sent to schools in January by the Ministry of Education outlined mandatory recruitment and selection criteria: Portuguese citizenship or regular presence in Portugal, fluency in Portuguese, plus at least one foreign language as determined by the school, along with a clean criminal record.
Additionally, preferred criteria included holding a degree in Psychology, Social Education, Sociology, or other related Social and Human Sciences fields.
Although they do not hold degrees, some of the 14 students who completed the professional course in Intercultural Mediation at the Social Development Institute (IDS) see schools as an opportunity for their first jobs.
They are the first graduates of the country’s inaugural professional course in Intercultural Mediation, launched in 2022 to address the challenges of an increasingly intercultural Portuguese society, as explained by Filomena Gonçalves, the pedagogical director of IDS.
“These young individuals can help integrate groups from different ethnicities and cultures, work with migrant and Roma communities. The diversity in terms of target groups is vast here,” Gonçalves stated.
Some students even interned at schools, and the contribution they can make in reducing linguistic and cultural barriers was emphasized.
“We had a student who interned at a school, and she noted precisely this. There were many migrant youths who didn’t participate in certain activities, and the intercultural mediator aids in that integration, even within classroom settings,” she recounted.
