In order to respond to the needs of schools and address teacher shortages, the Ministry of Education has permitted some basic schools to recruit teachers on a casual basis.
The Deputy Minister of Education, Dulce Jesus Soares, confirmed the ministry had given authorization for some schools to recruit part-time teachers due to the lack of teachers for individual subjects.
She acknowledged that although the ministry already employed a high number of teachers, recruitment was often not based on the needs of schools.
From grade three onwards specific subjects are taught in schools and therefore teachers are needed to fill these roles.
Soares said while the ministry was taking steps to fix the issue, schools must also keep data on teachers’ timetables and the subjects that they teach.
It is also unclear whether the ministry or individual schools would be responsible for covering the wages of part-time teachers.
Last year, the National Parliament approved $56,000 to cover the salaries of permanent teachers and those working informally.
The Ministry of Education currently has more than 4,000 teachers working informally on an as needed basis.
However, Member of Commission F (responsible for health, education, culture, veteran affairs and gender equality) MP Leonel Marçal said he had concerns over the decision and questioned whether it was necessary to employ more casual teachers when there was already a high number working informally.
