Lisbon, Nov. 5, 2024 (Lusa) - The Portuguese government will spend €105 million next year to reduce the number of pupils without all their classes, the Minister of Education announced on Tuesday, guaranteeing that differences are already being seen compared to last school year.
The current team at the ministry of education, science and innovation (MECI) presented the ‘More Lessons, More Success’ plan to reduce the number of pupils without all their lessons (due to teacher shortages) and the next state budget provides €105 million for the plan's 15 measures and two others that have been added to attract teachers to schools where there are more difficulties in hiring.
Among the measures is the launch of an extraordinary teacher recruitment tender, which will cost €70 million next year, another measure to retain and attract teachers that will cost €14.6 million and the €10 million needed to pay relocated teachers who have agreed to stay in one of the schools identified as having the most problems hiring, minister Fernando Alexandre explained today.
Support for relocation was once again one of the measures most contested by MEPs, who pointed out the unfairness of a relocated teacher being placed in a school right next to one that was entitled to the relocation allowance.
Asked by Liberal MP Patrícia Gil Vaz about the results of the ‘More classes, more success’ programme, Fernando Alexandre assured that the "results are much better than last year at this time".
"We have indications that the measures we have in place are working and responding to the extent we expected."
The aim of the plan is to reduce to zero the almost 1,000 pupils who in the last school year had no lessons throughout the year in at least one subject.
In total, the draft state budget for 2025 will have total consolidated spending of €7.47 billion, or 6.8% more than last year, according to the proposal being debated in parliament today.
The executive plans to spend €5.85 billion next year, 3.3% more than planned for this year due to the "enhancement of careers, the recovery of teachers' length of service and the hiring of teaching staff, promoting the retention and attractiveness of teaching careers and reversing the effect of retirements", reads the report accompanying the next state budget proposal.
The current government team reached an agreement with teachers for a phased recovery of the six years, six months and 23 days of service that were frozen during the Troika period.
The accounting of the length of service began in September this year and should be finalised by the end of the mandate.
Next year, the recovery of length of service will cost €214 million, explained the minister, pointing out that the counting of length of service will mean that, by July next year, 66% of teachers will reach the top of their career, in other words, they will be placed between the 7th and 10th ranks: "We will have 25,000 more teachers in the top ranks, if this isn't valuing the career, what is?" he asked during the debate taking place in parliament.
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