EPM hiring after firing controversy

The Macau Portuguese School (EPM) has announced it is seeking to hire five more teachers in preparation for the upcoming school year.

The hiring announcement on EPM’s website comes just several days after the Portuguese government concluded an inquiry into the dismissal of several teachers from the school, which led to the renewal of the affected staff’s special licenses for another year.

In a recruitment notice signed by director Acacio de Brito, who will be part of the selection panel, the teaching positions include two mathematics teachers and one teacher each for physics/chemistry, computer science, and French. Candidates will teach high school students. Applications are being accepted until Aug. 26.

The hiring announcement comes after a controversy earlier this year in which four EPM teachers and a psychologist had their contracts unexpectedly terminated by de Brito.

However, Portugal’s Ministry of Education later overturned the dismissals, finding de Brito’s decision lacked objective and transparent reasoning.

For the current openings, 40% of the selection criteria will be based on candidates’ international teaching experience outside of Portugal. Qualifications will account for 30%, and subject-specific experience will make up the remaining 30%.

Throughout the dismissal dispute, de Brito and the EPM Foundation president denied any wrongdoing, saying 10 new teachers had already been secured for the 2024-25 year. The Ministry of Education also mandated that instruction in Portuguese language remain unchanged. Victoria Chan