Classes have started in high schools in Portugal: Teacher shortage continues, especially in Lisboa

The new phase of the 2026/27 academic year in Portugal started today. While secondary school students are returning to classrooms, the shortage of teachers in some schools has still not been resolved.

Associação Nacional das Escolas Públicas President Filinto Lima said that the teacher shortage is felt especially in the Lisboa region.

One of the areas where the biggest problem is experienced in secondary education is Portuguese. There is also a need for teachers in Tecnologias de Informação e Comunicação (TIC) courses.

How many teachers are missing?

There is an important detail here: the exact current number nationwide has not yet been revealed by school administrators.

In his statement to RTP, Filinto Lima stated that the exact number is known by Ministério da Educação and that he did not want to give a number based on guesswork.

Therefore, it is not correct to use exact figures such as "this many teachers are missing" without the publication of updated official data.

However, in the data published just before the start of the academic year, it was reported that approximately 2 thousand teaching curriculum had not yet been filled.

Why does Lisboa stand out?

The teacher shortage is not felt to the same extent in every region of the country.

Lisboa and its surroundings have long been considered among the regions where teachers have the most difficulty in terms of housing costs.

Filinto Lima also asked Lisboa Mayor Carlos Moedas to provide teachers with access to affordable housing, similar to the example implemented in neighboring Oeiras. He called for the development of solutions that would make it easier.

For this reason, the teacher problem has become a file related not only to the number of teaching staff, but also to the living and housing costs of teachers in big cities.

Portuguese and TIC stand out

According to Filinto Lima's statement, there is a gap in secondary education, especially among Portuguese teachers.

The need continues in the field of TIC.

This does not mean that students in every school are left without teachers. Teacher shortages can vary significantly depending on school, region and subject.

New docking system comes into play

The Ministry of Education is also making changes to the placement mechanism in order to respond to teacher needs more quickly.

Switching from a weekly placement system to a more frequent model aims to fill vacant positions faster.

The real test will emerge in the coming days with the release of updated data showing how many students are left without a teacher in certain courses.

Resources

RTP — September 21, 2026

https://www.rtp.pt/noticias/pais/comeca-o-ano-letivo-para-os-alunos-do-ensino-secundario-com-falta-de-professores_n1766732

RTP — September 14, 2026

https://www.rtp.pt/noticias/pais/dois-mil-horarios-de-professores-por-preencher_v1764079