Unions, 250 thousand substitutes in schools in September, it’s a boom

(ANSA) – ROME, AUGUST 13 – About a month after the start of the new school year, there is talk again of a boom in substitute teachers: the data provided by the unions speak of a 72% increase in seven years, that is, from 132 thousand substitutes in the 2017/2018 school year to 232 thousand last year, while for the next school year 2024/2025, the figure will presumably reach 250 thousand. “We will have a new record for substitutes, with the absurd situation that the Ministry of Education has set aside 20,000 positions for the October competition, but the 2023 competition has not yet ended and there are eligible candidates in the 2020 competition”, complains the leader of the Flc Cgil, Gianna Fracassi, speaking to ANSA. “The modest contingent for permanent placements confirms that during the next school year we could reach a new negative record for annual substitutes: some are talking about over 250,000 precarious workers hired until June 30, 2025. The school administration knows well that the rankings not fully used and the slow competitions will complicate everything”, is the opinion of Marcello Pacifico of the Anief union. Also for Giuseppe D’Aprile, secretary of the Uil school, “it is paradoxical how the hiring channels are increasing and the positions are decreasing, which are being set aside for a future competition procedure not yet started”. And he explains: “the size of the ministerial scheme has these numbers: out of 63,685 vacant positions, only 45,124 will be authorized, 70% of the total. 18,561 will be allocated to the next Pnrr competition. Not having authorized all the available positions, pending a future competitive procedure, due to the Pnrr – wrote the union representative in a letter sent to Minister Valditara – will determine, in many regions, the failure to hire teachers included in the rankings of ordinary competitions”. And there are also serious critical issues on the front of ATA staff and that of school secretariats. As regards administrative, technical and auxiliary staff, according to the numbers provided by the unions, over 20 thousand positions will be given to substitutes. (ANSA).