The Madeira government completed the restoration of teachers’ working hours in January

The Madeira government is keeping schools open, with no students missing classes, and will complete the process of fully restoring teachers’ working hours in January 2025, the responsible secretary said on Tuesday.

“We do not have students without classes, like in other places,” assured the regional secretary of education, science and technology of Madeira during the debate on the XV program of the regional government in the Legislative Assembly of Funchal, which began on Tuesday and will continue until Thursday, the day when a vote of no confidence will be passed against him.

The colleagues of PS, JPP and Chega, which unite 24 deputies out of 47 parliamentarians, have already announced that they will vote against this proposal of the regional government led by Social Democrat Miguel Albuquerque, thereby risking not being elected. approved.

The regional secretary said that teachers in Madeira have “the best working conditions in the country,” arguing that in January 2025, as the regional government expected in 2018, “the process of full recovery of time worked will be completed by teachers.” in the region”.

When asked by CDS-PP MP Sara Madalena whether there would be more school closures, the secretary replied that the reorganization is “imposed based on the birth rate,” pointing out that Madeira is expected to lose about 9,000 students by 2030.

However, he acknowledged that there may be a need to reopen kindergartens next school year due to “the entry of immigrants into the region,” and stressed that “there is an adequate response to reality.”

Regarding the shortage of human resources in schools, the Governor emphasized that between 2015 and 2023, 526 teachers were linked in Madeira, which is the only region where this link occurs automatically after five years of service, both on the mainland and in the Azores . resolution depends on competition.

Asked by PAN’s sole deputy, Mónica Freitas, whether the contract would be awarded after three years of service instead of the current five, Jorge Carvalho said it would depend on negotiations with the unions.

In the period from 2019 to 2023, another 396 operational assistants and 78 psychologists were hired to work in schools, he said, emphasizing that staffing depends on the approval of the regional budget.

According to the government official, it is also planned to begin a review cycle of the Teaching Career Regulations and “extend the process of transition to digital education to all students aged 5 to 12 grades.”

Olga Fernandez of the PS, the largest opposition party, criticized that the regional government only wants to talk now, pointing out that the Socialists have awarded several diplomas in education in recent years that have “always received eloquently negative comments from the secretary.”

The Socialist MP also noted that there is “not a single word about the shortage of teachers” in the government program.

In the same spirit, JPP MP Miguel Gananza said that “urgent measures must be taken to develop the teaching career, making it rewarding for those involved and attractive to young people.”

As for Chega, Celestino Sebastian wanted to know how the Madeira leader would fill the teacher shortage and attract young people into the profession.

In turn, IL’s sole deputy, Nuno Morna, accused the regional secretary of “disrespect” for sending the party an unreadable response on future school grades, and lamented the lack of liberal education proposals in the government. program.

Social Democratic MP Nuno Maciel, on the contrary, stressed that “95 to 96%” of the region’s teachers are part of the collective, that “schools have always been open” and that “chaos has never reached this region”, accusing the opposition of not wanting to see numbers.

In early regional elections on May 26, the SDP elected 19 deputies and has five terms left before achieving an absolute majority. The PS elected 11 parliamentarians, the JPP nine, Chegu four and the SDS-NP two, while the IL and PND elected one MP each.

After the vote, the PSD signed a parliamentary agreement with the Christian Democrats, but it still lacks an absolute majority – both parties have 21 seats, and 24 are needed.