In the news recently: Portugal has been voted the third most peaceful country in the world to live in. It’s also the most improved country in Europe. Also, teachers are to go on strike. Unremarkable, I can hear you saying.
A lot of public sector employees were on strike here just a couple of weeks ago, and schools, hospitals, clinics and so on were closed as a result. However, on June 21, teachers will be going on strike again. Just for the day.
Now, schools have closed for the summer, so I was a little perplexed when I saw this. What is the point of striking when schools are closed? I wondered. Then I found out that it’s the day when a lot of country-wide, important examinations are taken.
Upon further investigation, I have discovered two things. Firstly, a typical teacher’s salary in Portugal is more than the French equivalent, indeed, it’s more than their counterparts in Norway, Sweden and Greece. It is less than those in the UK, but not by a lot, and of teachers in Spain, but again, not by a lot. The second thing that I have found out is that there are a lot fewer students in a typical Portuguese classroom than almost anywhere else. The student-teacher ratio here is about a half of the UK equivalent, about 7.5 students per teacher, as compared with 13.5 in the UK.
However, in some ways, Portugal’s schools are producing results; their PISA scores (an international way of comparing a country’s educational system by outcomes, from the OECD, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development) have got a lot better. In fact, Portugal’s schools have shown a very impressive improvement – they are in the top 10 improved countries, so something worthwhile must be happening in classrooms.
So, putting all this together: Portugal’s teachers have classes with very few students, are paid not so badly, live in a country which is really peaceful, is reasonable, price-wise, and they have improved their student outcomes by an impressive amount. Do they have a good reason to go on strike?
I think they probably do: They clearly have made an impact, even though they are not paid fantastically. They have small classes though, and Portugal is a cheap and peaceful place to work. On balance, they probably, just probably can make a case.
What I don’t think they have a right to do is to disrupt the life chances of the young people whose educational outcomes they have improved. To go on strike on a big, important, national examination day is a cynical attempt to draw the public’s attention to their cause. It’s like a strike by airlines or baggage handlers on a bank holiday.
The right to strike exists; I don’t think striking when it can adversely affect the future of young people is acceptable, though. To do this when as a group, teachers have obviously done a lot right, as Portugal’s PISA outcomes show, is just shooting yourself in the foot.