The new academic year in Cabo Verde, set to begin on September 21, 2026, is marked by expectations of change in the education system as announced by the government. The country's teacher unions, SINDEP and SINDPROF, have expressed concerns over several issues, including the reduction of bureaucracy, organization of teaching work, curriculum review, and school conditions. These issues are considered interlinked and require structural responses.
SINDEP and SINDPROF have pointed out that changes in teams at the Ministry of Education and school management structures, teacher placement and transfers, workload, and school organization are among the aspects that raise concerns. The unions also advocate for changes in the evaluation model and argue that the expansion of school hours should be accompanied by adequate conditions and not result in additional workload for teachers.
Jorge Cardoso, president of SINDEP, stated that the beginning of the academic year will be marked by an adaptation period due to changes in teams at the Ministry of Education, delegations, and school principals. He expressed concerns over teacher placement and transfers, distribution of teacher and student schedules, textbooks, and school organization. Cardoso hopes that there will be no disruptions at the start of the academic year.
Lígia Herbert, president of SINDPROF, also expressed concern over the transition of leadership teams, advocating for such changes to be prepared with greater advance notice to allow outgoing teams to transmit their knowledge to new structures. She criticized the excessive politicization of educational administration, arguing that education should be a responsibility of society as a whole, not subject to partisan changes in each governmental cycle.
The government has announced its intention to simplify the evaluation model, considering it excessively bureaucratic. Both SINDEP and SINDPROF welcome this intention but advocate for more profound changes. Jorge Cardoso cited the example of ninth-grade students having 13 disciplines, with each student required to have six evaluation elements per discipline, which must be introduced by the teacher into the system.
The expansion of school hours is another project that raises concerns among unions. The government plans to implement this measure in schools on the islands of Sal, Boa Vista, and Praia, with complementary activities after regular hours. While SINDEP agrees with the principle, provided it does not increase teachers' workload, SINDPROF's Lígia Herbert questions how the project is being prepared, emphasizing the need for adequately trained professionals, suitable spaces, and material conditions.
Teacher working conditions are another point raised by unions, with SINDEP's Jorge Cardoso criticizing the current organization of teaching service distribution and the attribution of multiple teaching levels to the same teacher. The union also defends a review of school functioning and curriculum.
Key points
- Teacher unions in Cabo Verde call for clarity on government-announced changes for the new academic year.
- Concerns over workload, school organization, and curriculum review are among the issues raised by SINDEP and SINDPROF.
- The government aims to simplify the evaluation model and expand school hours, but unions advocate for adequate conditions and no additional workload for teachers.
