Government takes precautions against teachers unable to obtain certificates

The Ministry of Education has guaranteed that sick teachers who are unable to obtain the medical certificate necessary to request a transfer from school in time will not be harmed, even maintaining this Tuesday as the deadline for submitting the documentation.

The National Federation of Teachers (Fenprof) warned on Monday about the difficulties many teachers were facing in obtaining the medical certificate that allows them to change schools for health reasons, and therefore asked the Government to extend the deadline.

Teachers who are sick or have sick family members have until 6:00 p.m. this Tuesday to submit their certificates, but they say they are unable to obtain the document in time because medical boards and health centers are not responding to all requests.

In statements to Lusa, the Ministry of Education, Science and Innovation (MECI) recalled that the initial deadline has already been extended and that postponing the submission of documents for more days would have “a negative impact on the management of teacher placement within the scope of internal mobility”.

Therefore, MECI maintains the deadline, but guarantees that in cases where it is confirmed that the certificate was not presented “for reasons not attributable to the teacher, the same will be admitted to the procedure”, being ordered taking into account the age and school preferences.

Furthermore, MECI adds, “in a phase that will take place in due course, if the teacher wishes and requests it, the DGAE will review the situation and a new placement may be obtained, if it coincides with a higher preference than that initially obtained”.

In recent days, Fenprof has received numerous reports from teachers asking for help because they are unable to meet deadlines.

"In many cases, teachers have been waiting months for the Medical Board of Disability Assessment, without the Local Health Units (ULS) having the human resources to respond in a timely manner. There are situations where medical boards are being scheduled for dates more than a year away, making it impossible to obtain the multipurpose medical certificate of disability (AMIM) within the established deadline ," he reported.

The new rules for Mobility Due to Sickness (MpD), approved by the Council of Ministers in March, allow medical certificates to be requested from medical boards and health centers, but Fenprof says that many ULS "claim to be unaware" of this new feature.

The Ministry of Health has now reiterated that it has signed a protocol with the Ministry of Health with the “commitment to developing forms and processes of cooperation, in order to prioritize the requests of interested parties who formally request” mobility due to illness.

The new sickness mobility regime comes into effect in the 2025/26 academic year, starting in September. The changes to this regime were negotiated with the unions and agreed upon by most union structures.

The new rules amend the legislation that had been in force since 2022 and which had always been highly contested, particularly the fact that the transfer of a teacher was dependent on the school's capacity.

Now, mobility due to illness may be renewed for two more school years, as long as the requirements, conditions for granting it and the needs of the schools are maintained.