More than 80% of Portuguese School Principals affirmed that they do not have enough resources for a truly inclusive education.
According to a questionnaire that was made by FenProf (National Federation of Teachers) and released to the public last Monday, the majority of school principals said that they lack the necessary human and material resources to provide the level of education that is requested by the Government.
The questionnaire collected information from 112,187 students, 12,157 teachers, and 5,266 operational assistants. The sample corresponds to 10% of total schools.
Then, considering the information that was collected, FenProf asked the Principals to provide an assessment of the law decree of 2018, on Inclusive Education.
73% of the Principals stated that the number of special education teachers is insufficient, 78% had the same opinion about the number of operational assistants, and 85% about the number of specialized technicians.
Only 6% of the operational assistants have the required specialized training to work with students with special needs. Additionally, there are very few psychologists, and speech and occupational therapists. Note that 8% of the total number of students have special needs.
Moreover, apart from the human resources, a considerable number of Principals affirmed that they lack the necessary equipment and infrastructure.
As a result of the assessment of the data that was collected and analyzed, FenProf stated that the needs that are necessary for guaranteeing a truly inclusive education, which should be a priority, were not met with the legislation that was passed in 2018.
Hence, the entity requested the Government to re-evaluate its practical application.
