The President of the Republic expressed concern today about the start of the school year and questioned “how come there was no more talk” about the extraordinary competition for teachers provided for in a Government diploma that was promulgated in August.
“The diploma was promulgated by me immediately, it arrived in one day and I promulgated it on the same day, because it was urgent, we were two weeks away from the start of classes, or two and a half weeks”, said Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, in statements to journalists, during a visit to the Book Festival taking place at the Belém Palace, in Lisbon.
“I am surprised at how the issue was raised, the Government put it to the President, the President agreed, and how come no more was said about it, about this extraordinary competition”, added the Head of State, assuming that “this extraordinary competition has either already gone ahead or is about to go ahead”.
The President of the Republic spoke about this diploma after being asked by the media if he was concerned about the start of the school year.
“I am, in a matter in which, in fact, I have already intervened, and I am surprised that the Government has not spoken about it more”, he replied.
Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa then stated that “the Government presented here to the President of the Republic, but it has been almost two weeks, a legislative initiative to open an extraordinary competition that would give extraordinary incentives to teachers so that they could go and teach or had not had the opportunity or had not wanted to apply”.
“Specifically, a travel allowance, so that they could adapt to the conditions in the areas where there were unfilled vacancies. And, on the other hand, conditions from the point of view of professional status that would also be a stimulus, an incentive”, he specified.
With this extraordinary competition, “it was already known that, in these cases, the vacancies, even if they were filled, were filled late, because classes started in the meantime”, observed the Head of State, adding: “But it is better for them to be filled late than not to be filled at all”.
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