Fenprof warns that around 40 thousand students were without a teacher in the second period

The conclusions are based on the increase in teacher requests made by schools at the end of this 2nd period when compared to last year.

“The total hours in school hiring went from 4,700 to 5,198, an increase of 10.6%”, according to the survey carried out by the federation, which adds that the number of hours of classes “skyrocketed from 87,175 to 96,022”.

Result: “It was estimated that, every week, around 40 thousand students were missing at least one teacher, an indicator of the seriousness of the situation”, concludes Fenprof in a statement.

The lack of teachers, which, until recently, was limited to the Lisbon and Tagus Valley region and some areas in Alentejo and the Algarve, has also become a problem felt in the north.

The Porto district “rose to second place in the national ranking of teacher shortages, with 579 open schedules, showing that the shortage is no longer a localized problem, but a nationwide reality”.

Primary school, Portuguese and Special Education teachers continue to be the most sought after, as well as French, English, Mathematics teachers, among others.

The Ministry of Education has argued that the numbers presented by the unions are not synonymous with students missing classes, as schools have mechanisms to replace these absences.

The Ministry announced that it would create a system that would make it possible to know this school year how many students were absent from classes and which subjects were in question, but it has not yet been publicly presented.

Fenprof emphasizes that the survey it carried out shows that there is a problem, which could be minimized with the review of the Teaching Career Statute (ECD), a process that “has been dragging on” and that “already leaves intentions of profound and dangerous changes in the air, including the end of internal mobility, initial hiring, recruitment reserves and school hiring”.

Teachers are calling for “urgent and effective measures” to attract young people to the profession and encourage the return of thousands who have abandoned it.

“Valuing the Teaching Career Statute is the path and the ongoing review process is an opportunity. As the MECI maintains the strategy of dragging out the process, not clarifying the proposals and disregarding the guarantees that teachers want to see enshrined in the ECD, the third period will be one of intensification of the struggle”, concludes Fenprof, which just over a week ago admitted the possibility of new strikes.

The Fenprof National Council scheduled a demonstration for May 16th and admitted strikes in the 3rd period, accusing the Government of exceeding “red lines”, such as professional qualifications for teaching.