Government overestimates support for teachers placed in schools with pupils not attending

The proposal presented today to the trade unions by the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI) envisages the allocation of between 75 and 300 euros per month to teachers placed in schools located more than 70 kilometers from home and where there are students who have been out of school for more than 60 days.

“In light of today’s discussion, we are going to rethink how this support will be provided,” Minister Fernando Alexandre said at the end of a multi-hour meeting with unions representing the teaching profession.

The idea is to set aside a monthly amount that will be paid “eleven months a year,” he explained, adding that this is another measure aimed at ensuring that no student is left without classes.

For the National Federation of Teachers (Fenprof), the figures are low and “won’t attract people”, given that being 70 kilometres from home can mean a daily commute of 140 kilometres, and 75 euros means “just two euros a day”, said the federation’s general secretary, Mário Nogueira.

Some unions will submit proposals for improvement and the ministry will review the proposal when it meets again early next month, but Fernando Alexandre assured that the measure “should come into force in September”.

The idea behind the travel support is to “motivate teachers to apply during periods of teacher absence” and thus try to minimise a problem that is already localised in certain geographical areas, namely the Lisbon, Alentejo and Algarve regions.

“The unions have identified some issues. Some we have already thought about, others are new, so we are going to rethink the way we provide this subsidy, but it will always be aimed at these schools,” the minister said.

Criticism from unions includes a lack of fairness, as two teachers may be assigned to one school and make the same trip, but only one receives support because he teaches a subject for which it is difficult to find a teacher.

“It’s a huge inequality,” said Mario Nogueira, warning of the danger of transferring teacher shortages to schools that do not provide travel support.

The National Federation of Education (FNE) also believes that “there must be equal treatment for all” dismissed teachers, said Manuel Teodosio, who said the federation would send “proposals for improvement” to the guardianship authorities.

According to the Secretary General of Fenprof, the ministry must “create a system of global incentives”. Mário Nogueira criticized the logic of creating support intended only for teachers in areas where there is a shortage, citing as an example what is happening in the government: “There are two ministers, one of them is Education, which has housing subsidies. – received a subsidy because it was an area in which they could not find a minister?”

Despite the criticism, teachers had demanded travel allowances and “in a very broad sense the unions had agreed to the principle” of additional support for those who filled gaps in certain schools and subjects, the minister defended.

“We know that we cannot solve a very serious problem with this measure alone, but we must design it in such a way as to ensure that all students attend classes,” said Fernando Alexandre.

Asked about the differences between the current proposal and the one presented by his predecessor, Fernando Alexandre summed it up in a few words: “The difference is in what we do.”

Teachers will know which schools are struggling the most, “but the government will not publish a list of orders. We have to have reservations because we are identifying schools with serious problems,” he explained, arguing that the information “has to be released carefully” for fear of stigmatising some schools.