Orlando Silveira, a member of Sindep's permanent committee, told Lusa that what is at stake is "the regulation of competitions for teachers in basic and secondary education, in force in Portugal”.

“The external competitions opened by the Ministry of Education contemplate the possibility of teachers teaching in Portugal, with a fixed-term contract, on an annual and full schedule for the third consecutive year, to compete in the first priority, which guarantees direct access to the career and, therefore, to a consequent better remuneration”, he explained.

However, “candidates who are assigned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, through a service commission at the Camões Institute, are relegated to second priority”.

These teachers of Teaching Portuguese Abroad (EPE) “do not have at this moment, from a legal point of view, a way to integrate as a first priority for the purpose of being able to enter the career”, he said.

“If they don't get into the career, they won't have a chance to make advancements based on their length of service and the assessments that are being made,” he lamented.

The trade unionist recalled that the Assembly of the Republic has already recommended to the Government (resolution 237/2018) that “place EPE teachers as first priority of the external competition provided for in the competition regulations”.

“The Assembly of the Republic itself has already identified the problem, approved the resolution, but it had no effect”, said Orlando Silveira.

According to the trade unionist, the teachers in these conditions who are interested in returning to Portugal, do not do so due to this “discrimination”.