ADN Madeira Youth has accused the PSD and the Regional Government of "presenting a reality about teacher shortages that does not correspond to the situations that have come to light in the Region's schools." The organization recalls that after the Regional Secretary of Education, Elsa Fernandes, publicly guaranteed that "all students have a teacher and all classrooms have a teacher," cases have emerged that directly challenge such an absolute statement.
The group specifically mentioned a report by RTP Madeira on October 3rd, which stated that some classes at the Machico School had gone weeks without a teacher, a situation denounced by the Madeira Teachers' Union. ADN Madeira Youth questions how it is possible for classes to have been without a teacher for weeks if all students were assigned one.
The organization emphasized that it does not deny the possibility of medical leave, retirements, or unforeseen needs, but criticizes the attempt to present a system without teacher shortages when concrete difficulties exist in replacing and assigning teachers. Data from the Regional Government itself indicates that 85 teachers left the Region in 2026 and 78 retired in the previous academic year, with the government admitting the need for ongoing placements.
Beyond basic and secondary education, higher education has also seen complaints, with the University of Madeira reporting a lack of classrooms and courses without assigned teachers. ADN Madeira Youth demands that the Regional Government abandon generic assurances and present concrete data on the number of classes without teachers, the duration of these absences, the number of pending replacements, and the subject areas with the greatest recruitment difficulties, calling for transparency in education.
