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In the 3rd cycle and secondary education, the proportion of those who are classified in the report as “young teachers” was, in 2018, only 2%, a number below the OECD average (10% in the 3rd cycle and 8 secondary%).
But it is between the 1st and 2nd cycle where teachers in this rank are less (in percentage terms) and represent only 1% of teachers.
Aging of the teaching staff has been a trend in most OECD countries, which the report warns of increased pressure on governments in the coming years to hire and train new teachers, as a large proportion reach the age of retirement in the next decade.
However, this trend is more accentuated in Portugal and, according to the data revealed, between 2005 and 2018, the proportion of young teachers in secondary education decreased by 15 percentage points.
On the other hand, the youngest teachers are also, on average, the lowest paid and, in the same report, the intergovernmental body also highlights the salary of public school teachers.
In 2019, Portuguese teachers remained among the highest paid, compared to other workers with higher education, only surpassed by Lithuania and Costa Rica, which occupy the second and first place, respectively, in the OECD comparison list.
This means that, in a similar way to what was registered in the 2018 report, teachers in Portuguese schools obtained in 2019, on average, more than other workers with higher education, when comparing the average salary of both, a trend that goes in against most OECD countries, reveals a report released today.
In most countries, teachers’ salaries tend to increase according to years of service and experience, but in Portugal the salary gap between higher-stage teachers and early-stage teachers is even greater.
The OECD average points to salaries between 78% and 80% higher between the two classes. On the other hand, Portuguese teachers at the peak of their career earn, on average, 116% more than younger ones.
Even so, the report also states that in Portugal, between 2005 and 2019, primary and secondary teachers with 15 years of experience and more degrees suffered, on average, a 6% salary reduction, while the OECD average points to to an increase of between 5 and 7%.
In Portugal, like most countries, the salaries of professionals represent the largest part of public expenditure on Education (72% in higher education and 85% in basic and secondary education, in 2017).
Compared to the OECD average, Portugal spent less per student in 2017, across all levels of education, but spent a higher percentage of GDP on education (5.2%).
On the other hand, and unlike most countries, the Portuguese State’s spending per student is higher in public education institutions, where spending was, on average, around 8,900 euros per student, compared to 7,100 directed to each student in private.
Still, the report adds, between 2012 and 2017, public spending on education fell at an average rate of 1.1% per year, while the number of students decreased by an average of 2% per year.
“This resulted in an average annual growth rate of 0.9% in spending per student during this period,” explains the OECD.
The OECD warns about the possible consequences of the pandemic in Education
The negative consequences of the covid-19 pandemic can extend to education, not only in the operation of schools, but also in the financing and internationalization of education, the OECD warned today.
The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) today published the 2020 edition of the “Education at a Glance” report, which this year has a new chapter dedicated to the impact of the covid-19 pandemic.
According to the organization, it is too early to predict what the negative consequences of the pandemic will be in the sector, but national governments will certainly “face difficult decisions”, from the beginning of the allocation of resources.
In Portugal, this is a particularly worrisome issue, since, recalls the report, in 2017 the country’s spending on education was already below the OECD average.
But it is not just public funding that can be undermined. “With rising unemployment, private finances can also be at risk. The impact can be particularly severe in the countries and levels of education that are most dependent on family expenses, ”the report reads.
This is the case of nurseries and private nurseries, which, according to 2018 data, are in charge of receiving, in Portugal, 96% of the total number of children who attend these institutions. Even in preschool education, where recourse to private is less frequent, only 53% of children are in public kindergartens.
On the other hand, the effects of the pandemic are already being felt in the functioning of schools, which around the world are adapting to the new hygiene and health safety regulations.
“The reopening of schools in the context of the pandemic depends on the ability to maintain a safe distance of one to two meters between students. For countries with smaller classes, it may be easier to respect the new restrictions, ”says the report.
At this point, Portugal is in line with the OECD average, with classes made up of an average of 21 students in the 1st and 2nd cycle.
The report also warns about the expected impact on the internationalization of higher education, and if Portugal has positioned itself above the OECD average in relation to the proportion of international students, therefore it may also be among the countries where that the foreseeable reduction affects more.
This is, in fact, a possibility that has already been accepted by the Government, which decided to transfer part of the vacancies for international students to the national competition for access to higher education, which this year had a record number of applications.
The covid-19 pandemic has already claimed at least 889,498 deaths and infected more than 27.1 million people in 196 countries and territories, according to a report by the French agency AFP.
In Portugal 1,843 people died of the 60,507 confirmed as infected, according to the latest bulletin from the Directorate General of Health.
