Finance

Education Minister admits teacher shortage for the coming years

Fernando Alexandre acknowledges the ongoing shortage of teachers in the country, especially in primary education, with 2,620 positions unfilled.

1 September 2026Tagblick Newsdesk

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Education Minister admits teacher shortage for the coming years — Photo: Cpers-Sindicato · Flickr · BY-SA

The Minister of Education, Science and Innovation, Fernando Alexandre, stated that the country will face a structural shortage of teachers in the coming years. This acknowledgment was made during a statement in which he mentioned that there are currently 2,620 unfilled positions in schools.

Fernando Alexandre emphasized that the issue is particularly severe in primary education. To mitigate the situation, the minister pointed to solutions such as implementing overtime hours and the need for additional training for existing teachers.

In terms of investment, it was reported that the state spent 20 million euros on teacher overtime in the year 2026, reflecting the administration's efforts to address the shortage of educators.

The minister underscored that the situation will not be resolved quickly and that the lack of teachers is expected to persist for some time. Managing this shortage is a priority for the government, given the significant impact on classrooms.

Additionally, Fernando Alexandre mentioned that continuous training for teachers is one of the pillars to help address the shortage of educators. The government views training as a necessary response to tackle current difficulties.

The need to find suitable solutions for education in Portugal remains under discussion, as schools continue to lack sufficient teachers to ensure quality education. The situation demands a long-term approach to prevent the problem from worsening.

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