This year, nearly 200,000 students are affected by a shortage of teachers in Portugal. According to unions, the reason is low salaries and a heavy workload.
At this back-to-school time, there are about 800 vacant teaching positions in Portuguese schools. A shortage that would affect nearly 200,000 students, double the number from last year.
“The situation is more serious than last year. Last year at the same time there were about 100,000 (affected students), which was already very serious and naturally got worse because last year alone 3,521 teachers retired and only 700 to 800 teachers joined the system.”explains Mário Nogueira, general secretary of the National Federation of Teachers (Fenprof).
This shortage is explained in particular by low salaries and a high workload. Working conditions, which, in recent years, have pushed thousands of teachers to throw in the towel.
“In the last six years, more than 14,500 teachers, and we are talking about a sector that has between 120,000 and 130,000 teachers, so more than 10% of young, properly qualified teachers have left the profession”continues Mário Nogueira.
By 2030, around 50,000 teachers are expected to leave the Portuguese education system. The problem is that there are not enough graduates to compensate for these retirements. The government already has a plan in place to address these shortages, but unions point to gaps.
“We have a problem with the ageing of the profession. This plan is largely based on the return of retirees and on keeping in the profession people who are already 60, almost 70 years old, and who are not retiring now, by paying them 750 euros gross. Of course, nobody likes that, do they? People want to retire,” explains the unionist.
For the government, the solution also involves a review of the status of teachers, to make these careers more attractive. A first meeting to this effect is planned with the unions on October 21.
