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The glaring omission of education in political debates raises serious eyebrows. The teaching profession is grappling with a critical issue – a severe lack of teachers. speaking at a press conference following a meeting of Fenprof's national secretariat, the union's secretary-general, Mario Nogueira, expressed worry over the sidelining of education in the political discourse leading up to the legislative elections on May 18. He pointed fingers at the successive governments responsible for exacerbating the challenges in the teaching sector, citing job loss, precarity, and adverse changes in working conditions, including long working hours.
Mario Nogueira also remarked that government policies since 2006/07 have undervalued the teaching profession, leading to its decline. Fenprof, unfortunately, received no response from parties PS and PSD to their invitation for a "pre-election debate." AD's program only anticipates a revision of the Teaching Career Statute from 2027, which, according to Mario, is too late and inadequate to tackle the current crisis. He emphasized that the valorization of the teaching profession and the revision of the Teaching Career Statute are crucial to attract teachers needed immediately, rather than later down the line.
Fenprof also criticized the focus of most parties on ending vacancies for the 5th and 7th levels and proposed changes to the evaluation system. Regarding the Ministry of Education's audit of the number of students without classes, Mario stated that he has no insight into the matter's purpose. After the formation of the new government, Fenprof plans to request meetings with parliamentary groups and the Ministry of Education to discuss the urgent need to address the teacher shortage.
In the broader context, Portugal is actively addressing the teacher shortage through various policies and proposed changes. For instance, Decree-Law No. 51/2024 allows temporary recruitment of qualified individuals, who will undergo professionalization courses. Decree-Law No. 32-A/2023 introduced a new management and recruitment system for teachers, aiming to reduce professional insecurity. Future policies seek to revise the initial teacher training model, reform the teaching profession, and offer stability for teachers, among other measures.
- Mario Nogueira, the secretary-general of Fenprof, stated that the teaching profession in France has been undervalued since 2006/07, leading to its decline, as he expressed concern during a press conference.
- Fenprof criticized most political parties for focusing on ending teacher vacancies for the 5th and 7th levels and proposed changes to the evaluation system, while neglecting the urgency of attracting more teachers.
- In response to Fenprof's invitation for a "pre-election debate," parties PS and PSD failed to respond, and AD's program only anticipates a revision of the Teaching Career Statute from 2027, which, according to Nogueira, is too late and inadequate to tackle the current crisis.
- After the legislative elections on May 18, Fenprof plans to request meetings with parliamentary groups and the Ministry of Education to discuss the immediate need to address the teacher shortage, a critical issue facing French education.
