A new decree-law (175/2026) was published, approved at the end of July in the Council of Ministers, which aims to facilitate the hiring of teachers and prevent students from being left without classes for prolonged periods. The law, which came into force at the beginning of September, allows schools to hire retired teachers and also post-Bologna graduates.
Teachers who postpone retirement to continue teaching will receive a monthly salary supplement of 750 euros, but only if there are no available teachers in schools to ensure those classes. This benefit applies to teachers placed in one of the 235 schools or groupings of the eight underserved Pedagogical Zone Boards, located in Greater Lisbon, Setúbal Peninsula and Algarve. Last year, more schools were covered: 258 organic units from 10 QZP.
The law also changes the requirements for hiring post-Bologna teachers, allowing the hiring of graduates whose area of scientific training corresponds to the subject they will teach, such as Economics, Sociology and Psychology, after candidates holding professional qualification have been exhausted. For PhD holders, the counting of service time is clarified, with research and development activities now being considered.
Also published in the Official Gazette is the decree that extends the prohibition on smartphone use in schools to the 3rd cycle. Schools that include students from secondary education and the 3rd cycle have until January 2027 to update their internal regulations.
