Minister Fernando Alexandre affirms that “an agreement was reached to provide job stability” to 70 teachers “in a situation of serious precariousness” at the Portuguese School of Luanda.
The Minister of Education, Science and Innovation stated this Friday that the Government has created a solution for the 70 teachers “in a situation of serious precariousness” at the Portuguese School of Luanda, which will go forward when all the unions speak out.
“We had a serious situation of precariousness for 70 teachers at that school and what we did was an agreement to provide job stability to these teachers and ensure that they are treated equally with other teachers, which was not and has not been the case for two years,” Fernando Alexandre told reporters after meeting with the union structures representing teachers.
The negotiation aimed at a proposal for a diploma relating to the extraordinary external competition for the selection and hiring of teaching staff at the Portuguese School of Luanda (EPL).
“The first meeting with the unions was objective of listening to the unions in the process of approving a decree-law which aims to urgently launch an extraordinary competition for the Portuguese School of Luanda,” he said.
The EPL, created in the 1980s, was until 2021 managed by the Portuguese Cooperative for Education in Angola (CPEA), but, as of September 7, 2021, it was managed by the Portuguese Ministry of Education, following a dispute with some cooperators.
The Portuguese Ministry of Education has supervised the institution since 2006.although the school was managed by a private entity that had a management contract with the State.
When the administration of the CPEA passed to the Portuguese State, there was no transfer of the teachers’ employment relationship and, in order to continue teaching, teachers had to sign a new contract, losing benefits and remuneration, which the majority accepted.
Fernando Alexandre guaranteed that The Portuguese Government attaches “great importance” to Portuguese schools abroad, Specifically, the EPL, where “more than 2,000 students study, where there are many Angolan students and also children of Portuguese, children of Portuguese professionals who work in Luanda, in Angola, where they are in companies, which have a very important connection” with Portugal, it is necessary “to ensure that this school has all the conditions to operate”.
The diploma, which was approved in general terms by the Council of Ministers, and which will be concluded after the union hearing process, is a “very urgent” diploma to guarantee that “the contracts of these teachers that end on August 31 can be integrated in the career or guarantee a stable employment contract.”
The minister stated that 10 of the 12 unions have already approved the diploma, leaving FENPROF and STOPwho did not respond on Monday.
Source: Observadora
