Controversy in Education: Foreign-Trained Teachers Barred from Teaching in Portugal

DGAE's Controversial Decision

The Direcção-Geral da Administração Escolar (DGAE) has recently come under fire for its decision to prevent teachers with qualifications obtained abroad from continuing to teach in Portugal. Despite being recognized in the country, these educators, particularly eight Brazilian teachers, have been forced to halt their teaching activities after being placed in national schools.

Legal Justifications

To explain this decision, the DGAE cites a 2007 regulation that outlines the requirements for recognizing foreign degrees as valid teaching qualifications. Notably, this regulation overturned a 1984 directive that allowed for certain foreign qualifications to be recognized under specific conditions.

Impact on Experienced Educators

The Brazilian teachers in question had prior teaching experience in Brazil and their credentials were validated by several Portuguese universities. Among them is a teacher who had been successfully teaching in Portugal for four years, and another for two years, before their ability to continue was abruptly cut off by the DGAE.

Ongoing Teacher Shortage

Portugal has been grappling with a teacher shortage for several years, resulting in thousands of students being unable to attend classes across various subjects. This situation has raised concerns about the educational system's capacity to meet student needs.

Petition for Change

In response to these developments, a petition with 615 signatures was presented to the Committee on Education and Science of the Assembly of the Republic. This petition advocates for the recognition of qualifications obtained in Brazil, urging lawmakers to recommend to the government that these teachers be allowed to teach in Portugal. The authors of the petition have since been invited to meet with the Ministry of Education, Science, and Innovation to discuss their concerns.