Portugal's Teacher Shortage Reaches Crisis Point as Unions Launch National Campaign

The Portugal National Federation of Teachers (FENPROF) has launched a 10-day nationwide mobilization tour, accusing the Portugal Ministry of Education of systematically delaying reforms that could address the country's worsening teacher shortage. The campaign, which began early on the morning of February 19 at schools in Porto, will span all 18 continental districts plus the 9 Azorean islands and 8 Madeira municipalities before concluding on March 4.

Francisco Gonçalves, FENPROF's secretary-general, warned that the current Education Minister has spent two years in office "kicking problems down the road" while the profession hemorrhages staff and thousands more prepare to retire. "We're looking at another year where more than 3,000 teachers will likely reach retirement age," Gonçalves told reporters at Praça Pedro Nunes in Porto, standing outside the Rodrigues de Freitas Secondary School and the Porto Conservatory of Music.

Why This Matters

• Retirement wave accelerating: Between 3,000 and 4,000 teachers annually are expected to qualify for retirement in coming years, according to union projections.

• Career reform stalled: Despite government promises to revise the Teaching Career Statute, no concrete measures have been implemented to date, unions say.

• Existing workforce being reshuffled: The majority of teachers placed through the national competition were already working in classrooms—indicating the system is simply reassigning existing staff rather than expanding the workforce.

• Families feeling the impact: Schools report persistent vacancies, with the shortfall increasingly affecting classroom continuity and student outcomes.

The Mobilization Strategy

More than a dozen educators wearing t-shirts emblazoned with "Exigimos valorização já" ("We demand recognition now") distributed postcards to students and parents during morning drop-off hours. The materials, pre-addressed to the Education Minister, carry a blunt message: "There's a teacher shortage — and it's increasingly felt in schools and in many families' lives."

The FENPROF caravan will target not only general public schools but also private institutions, specialized arts academies, and vocational training centers. Organizers plan to hold public assemblies, street demonstrations, and artistic performances in each region, while submitting detailed policy documents outlining sector-specific grievances.

"We're going to talk with teachers, draw attention to their situation, review the state of negotiations, and remind the public that not a single substantive measure has been taken to improve the career statute we have," Gonçalves explained. "And with this, we want to remind political leaders that it's urgent to address these problems."

What This Means for Residents

The teaching profession's structural crisis has direct consequences for Portuguese families. Persistent classroom vacancies mean substitutes often lack proper qualifications, and some subjects—particularly STEM disciplines—go understaffed for weeks at a time. Parents in rural or island communities face even greater disruption, as remote postings remain chronically difficult to fill.

The union's core demands center on career valorization, a term that encompasses salary increases, better working conditions, reduced bureaucratic burdens, and a credible plan to address the exodus from the profession. FENPROF argues that without immediate intervention, the shortage will spiral beyond manageability.

What Happens Next

After distributing materials at schools in Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia, the caravan's first day concluded with an assembly at the Basic and Secondary School of Pedrouços in Maia. Over the next nine days, organizers will fan out to every corner of the country, amplifying a simple message: the clock is ticking, and incremental adjustments will not suffice.

For families navigating Portugal's public education system, the stakes are clear. The teacher shortage continues to affect the quality and consistency of instruction that Portuguese students receive. Whether this latest mobilization produces concrete policy changes or merely adds to a growing archive of unmet demands remains to be seen.