Last academic year, the Ministry of Education allowed school directors to hire 286 mediators who began arriving at schools in February to assist foreign students.
However, these mediators have been “unemployed since September 1st, and we, the directors, could have reinstated these mediators with a click, but we weren’t allowed,” lamented Filinto Lima, president of the National Association of Groupings and Public Schools Directors (ANDAEP) in statements to ‘Lusa Extra,’ a podcast by Lusa to be released on Friday.
In the past two academic years, schools have seen the number of foreign students double, now surpassing 140,000. The Ministry had announced the potential hiring of cultural and language mediators to support student integration.
Although some mediators arrived only at the end of the second term, the initiative was applauded by directors, who called for more staff and the possibility of maintaining them for the following school year.
The Ministry accepted the initial suggestion, announcing in summer that 310 technicians could be hired this year. However, just before the new school year begins, schools have “zero mediators,” and Filinto Lima fears it may take months for them to arrive.
This is because schools will now have to start a new recruitment process for over 300 positions, which “may take weeks or even months,” he warned, emphasizing that “many directors would gladly retain the mediators who joined schools last year.”
Until then, students will be accompanied in classrooms by other staff but “with many challenges,” making tasks more difficult for teachers and schools, he highlighted during the podcast interview.
About 1.6 million children and young people are starting classes this week, while many schools in the Lisbon, Algarve, and Alentejo regions continue to search for teachers for open positions.
In an interview with Antena 1, Education Minister Fernando Alexandre stated there is no shortage of teachers, assuring that around 20,000 professionalized teachers have not been placed. The issue is that most live in the north, while the demand is in Lisbon, Alentejo, and Algarve.
Filinto Lima reiterated the need for housing support for displaced teachers, similar to support provided to other professionals, urging the Minister of Finance to authorize such funding.
“Why can’t teachers, in a moment of urgency and great need, be supported with accommodations?” he questioned, comparing them to parliament members.
Regarding the prohibition of smartphones in primary and secondary education, Filinto Lima believes the measure will likely extend to third-grade students in most schools where second and third grades share facilities.
