A total of 14 teachers in Vilankulo district, Inhambane province, are facing a human and professional drama after being suspended from their duties for lack of a visa from the Administrative Court (TA). After working for eight months without any pay, the teachers, who had placed their trust in the state, are now without a job, without a salary and with accumulated debts.

According to a publication in the newspaper "The Country"The teachers, who were hired through an open competition in 2023 and started work in June 2024, say they feel abandoned and betrayed by the system.

"We were called to start work with the promise that the administrative process was underway and that everything would be settled quickly. We believed in the state, we did our best in the classroom, and now we're being discarded as if we never existed," laments one of the teachers quoted in the same publication.

However, the director of the Vilankulo District Education and Technology Service, Florêncio Vilanculos, recognizes the seriousness of the problem, but justifies the situation by the urgent need for new teachers to meet the high demand in classrooms. According to him, the decision to start work before the TA's visa was issued was taken to avoid a collapse in public education.

"The schools were facing a shortage of teachers. We couldn't leave the children without lessons. This was an emergency decision, but we understand that the impact on the lives of these teachers is serious and we are working to resolve the situation before the Administrative Court," explained Vilanculos, without giving any timeframe for the conclusion of the process.

The hiring of civil servants in the country depends on the approval of the Administrative Court, which issues a visa to confirm that the process is legally compliant. Without this approval, contracts are invalid, which prevents salaries from being paid. Although the law allows for exceptions in cases of "urgent convenience of service", its application has not been sufficient to avoid the current situation.

(Photo DR)