Fenprof says state budget will be indicator of government intentions

The secretary general of the National Teachers Federation (Fenprof), Mario Nogueira, said on Tuesday that the 2025 state budget will be an indicator of the government’s intentions in the field of education.

“There is an indicator that will be very important for understanding what awaits us: it is called the State Budget for [20]25. In about a month we will present the government’s proposal,” Mario Nogueira told Lusa.

In this regard, the trade unionist recalled that international organizations working in the field of education, including the UN, had recommended “several important measures to overcome the shortage of teachers,” and that “there was adequate funding from the states to ensure that the necessary responses could be given.”

Thus, he continued, the organizations point to “public funding for education, which should be around 6%, and only thanks to this public funding,” says Mario Nogueira, “will it be possible to solve problems in schools, the system and professionals, value the profession and win people over.”

“If we continue to have values ​​that make up about half, and above all, values ​​that are largely the result of public funds and community funds […] These are funds with limited durations, they are not intended for investing with an eye to the future,” he noted.

These funds are “intended for a certain point,” whether it’s a year or two, and then when they run out, “sometimes an even greater difficulty is created,” including cutting the state budget at the expense of the added fund.

“It is not enough to have good intentions and hold a lot of meetings,” there needs to be “political will to invest” because “underfunding of education is already chronic,” he said.

Mário Nogueira spoke to Lusa at the start of the Central Region Teachers’ Union (SPRC) trade union days, which will take place on Tuesday and Wednesday in Viseu, where the issues facing trade union delegates will be discussed.

Also in Viseu, on the 12th, the beginning of the school year will be celebrated at the Escola Secundária Alves Martins with the presence of the President of the Republic Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, the Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and the Minister of Education Fernando Alexandre.

Fenprof “was also invited” to attend, and although Mario Nogueira has not yet received a response to the invitation, he added that “there is no demonstration planned by the union, but there will be a message about education,” acknowledging that “there may be one or another disgruntled teacher” to attend.