The National Teachers’ Federation (Fenprof) on Thursday classified the government’s plan to combat the shortage of students not attending classes as a “desperate plan” that will not solve the problem and could create inequalities between schools.
“To think that the number of students not attending classes will be reduced by 90% is to believe in a miracle,” said Mario Nogueira, leaving a meeting to discuss the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation’s plan to combat the shortage of teachers in schools.
Similar to what the National Federation of Education (FNE) has already defended, Fenprof also said that the government’s proposal is not a “plan to solve the teacher shortage” as measures are needed to make the profession more attractive.
The trust wants to attract teachers who have abandoned the profession and also force teachers on the verge of retirement to agree to postpone their retirement dates.
However, Mário Nogueira warned that teachers on the verge of retirement would be the minority who meet the demands to work longer in exchange for €750 gross, as the voluntary measure only applies to those with 40 years of service and 66 years and 7 months.
The Secretary General of “Fenprof” explained that for every year of work after 40 years of work, teachers’ retirement age is reduced by four months.
In other words, a person with 43 years of service can retire a year early without penalty, meaning he is excluded from this measure, said Mario Nogueira.
The government’s proposal also includes the possibility for teachers to work more overtime in schools where there is a shortage of teachers.
Mario Nogueira recalled that these measures would mean that a teacher in a school earns more than someone who works in a neighboring school just because he is on the list, creating “inequality between schools.”
On the idea of bringing back teachers who have left the profession, the union leader accused the government of “low ambitions” because “about 14,000 people have left the profession, and the government only wants to bring back 500.”
Mario Nogueira considered the meeting “inconclusive” because he had sent a series of questions earlier in the week, many of which remained unanswered. This criticism was shared by FNE, which said it had not had time to consider all the points in the plan.
Trade union meetings continue today with the remaining ten union structures.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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