ZAP
More than half of those under 30 admit to changing careers. Schools with more students and more diverse.
There is more students in Portuguese schools and more diversity, but not everyone completes their apprenticeships with the same success, particularly those needy and the foreigners. The conclusions are from the 2024 “State of Education” report, released today.
“The completion rates within the expected time of children and young people from families and/or backgrounds that are more fragile from a social, economic and cultural point of view, as well as students of foreign nationality, continue to be significantly lower than those of other students and with notable differences”, states the report, under the responsibility of the National Education Council (CNE).
According to the CNE, the data “evidence weaknesses in strategies for inclusion by effectiveness of support measures”.
More foreigners
According to the document, in 2023/2024, 174.126 children and young people of nationality foreign 31,366 more attended compulsory schooling in Portugal than in the previous year, which means a increase of 22%, representing 13.6% of non-adult students who attended basic and secondary education, and 9.5% in pre-school education. Most are Brazilians.
Less than a quarter of foreign students in Portugal who do not speak Portuguese take Portuguese language classes. Portuguese Non-Mother Languagea discipline whose offer is not tracking the increase of these students.
Among the 55,827 foreigners whose mother tongue is not Portuguese enrolled in basic education, only 10,638 were enrolled in Portuguese as a Non-Mother Language (PLNM) (19.1%), and of the 14,239 who are in secondary education, only 1,963 attended the subject (13.8%).
According to the authors of the report, these data “seem to show that the supply was below what would be necessary”.
Among foreign students in basic education whose mother tongue is not Portuguese, the following stand out: Ukrainians (1,416 students, 11.3%) and Indians (1,154 students, 9.2%), being the only nationalities with more than 1,000 students in PLNM.
Inequalities
The CNE points out, on the other hand, that “effective support for children and young people with specific health needs is in risk given the lack of specialized resources”, considering that the monitoring and evaluation of inclusion measures are “crucial for combating the inequalities that persist in the educational system”.
The document notes that “exceptional and temporary measures were taken, such as the allocation of teaching staff and specialized technicians to public educational establishments or the expansion of specialized structures (Resource Centers for Inclusion, Learning Support Centers, reference schools), but warns that “territorial inequalities and insufficient specialized technicians and teachers remain so that measures to support learning and inclusion can be fully implemented”.
Tired teachers
The study also demonstrates that, in total, around 20% of the teachers in Portugal consider to change career.
The percentage rises even more among teachers young people: more than half of teachers under 30 are thinking about stopping being a teacher.
According to the report, over the next 10 years, it will be necessary to hire 3,800 teachers per year to renew the staff; The lack of teachers is already beginning to be felt in higher education.
