The leader of the PS accused the Prime Minister of having created an illusion that he would easily solve a structural and time-consuming problem such as the lack of teachers. He pointed out that it is essential to make this career more respected and valued.
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Visit to Ibn Mucana Basic and Secondary School
Pedro Nuno Santos was on a visit to the Ibn Mucana Basic and Secondary School in Cascais to mark the start of the school year. He spoke to journalists at the end of his visit and said:
We are experiencing a shortage of teachers, more so than last year, when we had 80,000 students without teachers. This year there are around 117,000 and it is obviously a reality that concerns us deeply. The Socialist Party has always said that solving this problem would take time.
According to the PS secretary-general, the prime minister, Luís Montenegro realized in the exercise of his duties that it would take a long time to resolve this problem. This is something he did not say a year ago, at the beginning of the school year in 2023. Back then he claimed that this problem could be resolved easily.
The PS leader further added that:
Unfortunately, as happens with many politicians, when they get to the reality of governing, they manage to be more realistic and take on a problem.
Considering that this is a structural problem and that it will take time, Pedro Nuno Santos argued that politicians do wrong when they try to create illusions. He criticized by saying:
And the illusion was created, just as this Prime Minister and this Government had already done in relation to health, that this summer with an emergency plan would be better than last year. It was worse than last year.
The opposition leader noted that the Government presented a plan for education and claimed that this year would be better than last year. However, this did not happen. He highlighted that the situation is worse than last year.
Commitment to Public Schools
Pedro Nuno Santos stressed the current situation and said:
We all have to accept that this is a structural problem, which will take time to resolve. The previous government had already adopted many measures, this one will take some more, but we have no doubt that only when the teaching career is a sufficiently attractive career, when our teachers feel valued and respected, will we also be able to have a career that is sufficiently attractive for more young people to want to be teachers.
The socialist leader highlighted a strong commitment by the PS to public schools and distanced himself from the current PSD/CDS-PP executive which does not have the same commitment. He compared saying:
In fact, our focus has always been on investing in public schools. This Government is once again increasing investment in private education. That is not our path.
Emphasis on Celebrating Public Schools
Pedro Nuno Santos explained to journalists that he wanted to mark this very important day for all Portuguese students. He emphasized the significance of celebrating public schools and their role in providing quality education to children from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.
Furthermore, he revealed that he aimed to ensure that these children could grow up as well-qualified adults and lead a decent life.
