In Lleida, school directors are among the majority of primary and secondary centre leaders across Catalonia who have signed a document calling for urgent changes to the education system. The letter has been sent to Catalan President Salvador Illa, Education Minister Esther Niubó, and parliamentary groups.
The call comes after a school year marked by teacher strikes and protests, which ended with a preliminary agreement with the government. Directors say that agreement does not go far enough.
The document, titled Urgent call from the management of educational centres in Catalonia in the face of the education system emergency, asks for a central role for directors in decision-making. It also says the 2009 Catalan Education Law, which set a target of 6% of GDP for education, is not being met. The signatories want a stable, long-term national pact on education, led by education professionals and experts, with active participation from school management teams.
Their demands are grouped into six areas, including a review of the inclusive school decree and reception model, more centre autonomy and staff management powers, better working conditions and legal security for directors, improved educational quality, stronger infrastructure, and greater support for public education. They also reject the plan to bring Mossos d'Esquadra officers into institutes.
On quality and staffing, the directors want immediate cover for staff absences from the first day, more support for pupils with special needs, early detection for children aged 0 to 3, more support units in infant and primary schools, and more structural social technicians and educators. They also want standardised tests for sixth year primary and fourth year ESO students, updated teacher training, and the return of teaching hours for Biology, Geology, Physics and Chemistry in Batxillerat.
Infrastructure is another major concern. The directors are asking for full and efficient climate control in school buildings, the replacement of temporary classrooms with permanent ones, and the rehabilitation of many buildings that they say have deteriorated after years of poor maintenance. They also want a centre manager role to handle contracting and tendering tasks now carried out by directors, plus simpler administrative systems and free software for timetables, enrolment and absenteeism tracking.
The initial document was signed by 1,343 school management teams from all territorial education delegations. The promoters say support has since grown and now represents the vast majority of school and institute directors. More Catalonia news