One week before the start of classes, more than two thousand positions remain vacant in Portuguese schools, but the Minister of Education, Fernando Alexandre, assured that there are teachers available to fill them. A more precise assessment will be presented at the end of the week, when another teacher placement competition will take place. The National Education Federation requested clarification from the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation regarding the number of teachers in shortage and about policy changes that could help retain teachers where they are needed.
Minister Fernando Alexandre listed a series of measures already implemented to address the problem, including the payment of 20 million euros in overtime hours, the payment of tuition fees for students enrolled in education courses, the professionalization of teachers with legal qualifications, and efforts to increase the attractiveness of the teaching career. One of the immediate priorities is to make placements faster, reducing the time between identifying the need at the school and the actual placement of the teacher.
The regions of Lisbon, Setúbal and Algarve are the most affected by the lack of teachers, also being those with the lowest secondary education completion rates, according to data from the Francisco Manuel dos Santos Foundation. The minister acknowledged that "everything is connected" and mentioned that the Government has adopted targeted policies, such as relocation support specifically created for teachers assigned to these regions, where it is more difficult to afford housing. Starting September 18, teachers will be placed daily, with the aim of reducing the time students wait for a teacher.
