The future of education in the Azores depends not simply on new schools or improved curricula, but on something far more fundamental: ensuring there are teachers standing in front of every classroom. That is the message being delivered by Fernando Vicente, the newly elected president of the Teachers’ Union of the Azores (SPRA), who has identified the region’s growing shortage of educators as the single greatest challenge facing the educational system.

Having recently assumed leadership of the union for the next three-year term, Vicente argues that the shortage is no longer a distant concern but an immediate reality affecting every island in the archipelago. While Portugal as a whole faces an unprecedented lack of qualified teachers, the challenges are particularly acute in the Azores, where geography and demographic realities amplify an already serious national problem.

“The future of any society is inseparable from the quality of its education,” Vicente said. “Education remains the true engine of social mobility, economic development, and equal opportunity. Yet today we face a troubling paradox: Portugal has never produced so many university graduates, and still fewer and fewer young people choose teaching as a career.”

According to Vicente, the shortage is now evident throughout the archipelago but is especially severe on the more remote islands of Corvo, Flores, Graciosa, and Santa Maria, where attracting and retaining qualified professionals has become increasingly difficult.

The union leader describes the current situation as the result of years of accumulated pressures rather than a sudden crisis. Across Portugal, approximately 1,800 teachers retired during the past academic year, while 72 retired in the Azores alone. Statistical projections suggest that roughly 4,000 teachers become eligible for retirement every year nationally, while only 2.3 percent of the teaching workforce is under the age of 30.

“The numbers are alarming,” Vicente observed. “The number of teachers leaving the profession is far greater than the number entering it. Our schools are increasingly sustained by an aging workforce, and unless this trend is reversed, the system risks serious disruption in the years ahead.”

Adding to the concern is the limited number of students preparing to become teachers. University enrollment in teacher education programs remains insufficient to replace those retiring, while approximately one-third of students enrolled in education degrees abandon their studies before completing their training.

Although the union cannot precisely calculate the number of teachers the Azores will require over the coming years, Vicente estimates that several hundred additional educators will be needed simply to meet existing demand. Around 250 annual contract teachers were hired before the current school year began, supplemented by additional emergency recruitment throughout the year, yet shortages persist across the region.

“The number of available places in teacher education programs, including those at the University of the Azores, falls well short of what our schools will require,” he explained.

The dramatic reversal from two decades ago—when many teachers struggled to find employment—to today’s widespread shortages did not happen by chance, Vicente argues. Instead, he points to years of educational policies that gradually weakened the attractiveness of the profession.

Among the contributing factors, he identifies the closure of teacher training programs, prolonged job insecurity, delayed career progression, stagnant salaries, increasing administrative demands, and growing emotional exhaustion among educators.

“Young graduates naturally ask themselves whether teaching still offers a stable and rewarding future,” he said. “To answer that question positively, we must restore prestige to the profession, improve working conditions, offer dignified salaries, and rebuild teaching as a respected career.”

Vicente also expressed concern about national education proposals that could further weaken the profession by integrating teachers into broader public administration career structures, arguing that such measures would reduce professional recognition rather than strengthen it.

The Regional Government has already introduced initiatives designed to address the shortage, including scholarships to encourage students to enroll in teacher education programs. While Vicente welcomed these efforts as positive first steps, he believes they remain insufficient given the scale of the challenge.

For the SPRA, the University of the Azores must become a central pillar in rebuilding the teaching profession. Vicente advocates expanding teacher education programs, increasing available university places, strengthening pedagogical training, and creating new pathways for professional qualification.

He also highlighted the situation of dozens of educators already working in Azorean schools who remain without formal teaching certification despite years of classroom experience.

“These teachers have dedicated themselves to our schools, yet many continue to live with professional uncertainty,” he said. “Providing opportunities for certification through the University of the Azores or the Open University would strengthen the educational system while recognizing the commitment of those already serving our students.”

Retaining teachers, particularly on the more isolated islands, remains another critical priority.

Vicente argues that meaningful financial incentives are essential if educators are to establish long-term careers in remote communities. Existing legislation already provides mechanisms that, in his view, should finally be fully implemented.

Among these are retention bonuses equivalent to 45 percent of salary index 100 during the first three years, declining gradually over subsequent years, along with subsidized mortgage interest for teachers purchasing homes, potentially for periods of up to fifteen years.

“Occasional relocation assistance is not enough,” Vicente emphasized. “We need genuine retention policies that encourage teachers to build their lives in our most peripheral communities.”

The union says it remains fully available to negotiate comprehensive solutions with the Regional Government, insisting that only a long-term strategy built around attracting, retaining, and valuing teachers will ensure the stability of education throughout the Azores.

For Vicente, the issue extends beyond workforce planning or educational policy.

“A society that cannot renew its teaching profession ultimately compromises its own future,” he said. “The challenge before us is not simply to fill vacancies. It is to restore teaching to the place of dignity and importance that it deserves, ensuring that future generations of Azoreans continue to benefit from a strong, stable, and inspiring educational system.”

Based on an interview published in Diário Isular, José Lourenço-director. Photos also from DI.