Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI) presented to the unions a proposal to reform the teacher recruitment and placement model, which provides for the creation of a continuous competition throughout the academic year, replacing the current bidding mechanisms. The measure was discussed at a work meeting as part of the review of the Teaching Statute.
According to the ministry, the new model maintains the annual internal competition, aimed at staff teachers, ensuring mobility and greater proximity to the place of residence. This procedure will be completed before the end of the school year, “allowing greater predictability in the organization of teachers’ personal and professional lives”.
The main change is the introduction of a continuous competition, nationwide, open throughout the year and with automatic phases. This mechanism will replace current competitions, including school hiring, and aims to ensure a more agile response to the needs of schools. For MECI, these changes will end the “fragmented recruitment model, based on multiple competitions, registrations and lists, with greater complexity and delay”, which is in force.
As part of this reform, a single national database of teachers will be created, permanently updated and ordered by teacher graduation. The platform will allow the continuous entry of candidates – including recent graduates and professionals with their own qualifications – as well as updating preferences at any time.
MECI emphasizes that the new model will guarantee greater transparency and equity in the placement process, respecting the teachers’ graduation. At the same time, it foresees a significant reduction in placement times and the periods in which students are without classes.
The proposal is also based on the modernization of the ministry’s information systems, which will make it possible to automate procedures and reduce the need for administrative validations by schools. The objective is to ensure a permanent and adjusted response to the needs of the educational system.
Furthermore, MECI intends to integrate into the Teaching Career Statute the currently scattered legislation on competitions, career entry, qualifications and recruitment groups, simplifying the legal framework.
The ministry asked the unions to send contributions by April 10th, and a negotiation meeting is already scheduled for the 20th of the same month, at which a first draft proposal will be presented.
FENPROF fears the end of internal mobility in teaching competitions
FENPROF expressed strong reservations regarding MECI’s intentions for the reform of teacher competitions, warning of significant doubts about the future of internal mobility and accusing the Government of a lack of transparency in the negotiation process.
In a statement, the trade union federation states that no clarifications were provided to the questions it has been asking, either orally or in writing, regarding the proposals under discussion. According to FENPROF, the meeting – classified by the ministry as a working meeting – did not allow delving into the essential aspects of the so-called “Theme 2”, relating to teaching qualifications, recruitment and admission. The union accuses the Government of disrespecting basic rules of union participation, stressing that the lack of responses compromises the right of organizations representing teachers to intervene in the definition of the socio-professional conditions of the class. According to the union organization, the ministry limited itself to presenting the general outline of its proposal through a support in powerpointwithout delivering any structured document.
The general secretary of FENPROF, José Feliciano Costa, admits that the government may be preparing a profound change in the model, which could affect the contract regime, professional stability and internal mobility of teachers. The person responsible understands that this evolution confirms a path of devaluation of the teaching career already anticipated in the ongoing legislative review process.
When presenting the new model to the unions, MECI revealed worrying figures about the shortage of teachers, which it believes could be minimized with the adoption of the new competition model. According to information provided by the Government, around 20% of teachers are over 60 years old; 60% of those are over 50 years old, with an average of 4 thousand retirements per year. The ministry also says that “thousands of students are left without a designated teacher for prolonged periods, with an impact on learning” and, on the other hand, thousands of teacher candidates are left “without the opportunity for placement, with enormous waiting periods”.
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