Portugal struggles to provide Macau teachers

The Portuguese Ministry of Education has acknowledged the challenge of reducing the number of students without access to classes abroad, citing the lack of teachers in Portugal as a key factor. This comes in response to criticism from the Macau Portuguese school (EPM) parent’s association, which has raised concerns about the shortage of Portuguese language teachers at the school.

In a statement to the Lusa news agency, the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation of Portugal (MECI) has detailed the reasons behind its decision to reject requests to replace several teachers at EPM. The ministry noted that while it remains committed to reducing the number of students without classes, the lack of teachers in Portugal has necessitated a “significant reduction in mobility for teachers who do not have a replacement.”

The parent’s association had previously criticized the “silence” of the Minister of MECI, Fernando Alexandre, and called for intervention to resolve the “deadlock” in the recruitment of teachers.

The association argued the lack of Portuguese language teachers has affected the entire educational community, including students, teachers, parents, and the school’s governing bodies.

The association has said that to maintain the EPM’s mission of providing education in Portuguese and contributing to the preservation of the Portuguese language and culture in Macau, the school requires authorization from MECI to hire Portuguese language teachers. Victoria Chan