The secretary of state for education, Alexandra Leitão, told parliament that 3,903 of the classroom assistants who have applied under the programme have already been accepted. Leitão was speaking during a hearing requested by the Communist Party on the subject of staff shortages in schools.

According to Leitão, the applications of 2,100 workers have been processed, a further 600 whose cases are "in the approval period" and another 1,100 that have been ruled as acceptable but for which formal approval is pending, she said, adding that the latter category is more complicated because it relates to people working part-time.

Leitão made the comments after the minister of education, Tiago Brandão Rodrigues, said that “almost three thousand” assistants had been approved to be taken on as public servants.