The Tarcisio de Freitas (R) government gave teachers with mental health-related disabilities an average of 95 days of sick leave per day from January to September of this year. This data is part of a study by the Paulista Center for Teaching (CPP) Association, based on official information from state administrators.
The group called for the number of licensed medical licenses related to mental and behavioral disorders in the category following medical expertise through the Access to Information Act (LAI).
The responses to this request sent by the Provincial Department of Medical Professions (DPME) reveal a scenario in which mental health issues have a major impact among teachers.
Contents of the survey results
- According to the DPME, from the beginning of this year to September, 25,699 licenses were issued for issues related to the mental health of regular and statutory teachers (civil servants).
- There are a total of 911,634 days of leave, with an average of 35 days for each application. This data does not include requests for temporary faculty.
- In all of 2024, 42,155 licenses were granted. The application resulted in 1,344,442 vacation days, with an average of 31 days per vacation granted.
- The study also found that the region with the highest number of absentees was the São Paulo metropolitan area. In 2025, the number of licenses was 13,534. In second place is the Campinas region with 3,356 licenses.
The CPP said the data showed the “emotional pressures teachers face” and said there was a lack of preventive policies.
“These numbers are a wake-up call. Teachers are getting sicker every day,” Alessandro Soares, the association’s secretary general, said in a statement.
The Department of Education also said in the memo that it worked with DPME to monitor health indicators for the network’s employees and improve prevention and care efforts for educators.
“Seduc-SP emphasizes that modern challenges in education pose new challenges for educators, such as the transformations experienced in the post-pandemic period, the responsible integration of technology into the school environment, and new educational and social demands. Pasta is focusing on the evaluation and well-being of network professionals, reinforcing its policy of welcoming, listening and preventing.”
The memo states that from 2024 onwards, the Coordination Office of Human Resources Management (CGRH) will provide teleservices in psychology and psychiatry, guaranteeing personalized support to network professionals. According to the ministry, as of October 31 this year, more than 650,000 such services had been provided.
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