Minister of Education admits understandings between PS and AD in the case of teachers

The outgoing Minister of Education, João Costa, admitted this Wednesday that “there are points of convergence” between the electoral programs of the PS and the Democratic Alliance (AD) and that one of the possible understandings could involve the recovery of teachers’ service time.

Speaking to journalists on the sidelines of the presentation ceremony of the new “Portugal Chama 2024-2026” campaign, João Costa, who spoke as a socialist activist, stated that “there are points of convergence between the AD and PS programs”, considering that it is “possible understandings and moments of agreement” in the legislature that follows.

Asked if the recovery of teachers’ service time could be one of these understandings, the Minister of Education said yes, being “a common point”.

The recovery of teachers’ service time was the main demand of teachers in the last legislature, which led to several strikes and demonstrations.

Asked whether there would be a contradiction about the PS not having made the money available for this recovery during the last legislature, the minister recalled that the priority was to recruit 22,500 teachers.

João Costa also said that the PS “cannot hand over the opposition to Chega” and should not cancel itself out “as the main opposition party”, which would be “very bad for democracy”.

“It would be to have a unique opposition between having democratic parties on the one hand and what is a populist and anti-system party”, he explained, recalling the attitude of Chega’s 12 deputies in the last two years, which he considered to have been “quite unworthy”.

In this sense, he stated that he feared “the worst” about the future in the Assembly of the Republic with 48 Chega deputies.

The AD, which brings together PSD, CDS and PPM, with 29.49%, won 79 deputies in the Assembly of the Republic, in Sunday’s legislative elections, against 77 for the PS (28.66%), followed by Chega with 48 deputies elected (18.06%).

IL, with eight seats, BE, with five, and PAN, with one, maintained the number of deputies. Livre went from one to four elected representatives while the CDU lost two seats and was left with four deputies.

The four deputies still have to be investigated for emigration, which will only happen on March 20th. Only after this date, and after hearing the parties with parliamentary representation, will the President of the Republic nominate the new Prime Minister.