Government stands by proposed education changes amid growing criticism

Catalan president Pere Aragonès has vowed to stand by the proposed changes to the upcoming academic year that have caused controversy among educators.

"We will not withdraw the measure. It is a good measure. We are ready to resolve what may come out and listen to the doubts," Aragonés said on Wednesday in the Catalan parliament, responding to criticism of his "lack of dialogue" with families, professionals and education unions.

The president was defending the proposal to begin the 2022-23 school year earlier in September, and to only set classes in that same month in the mornings in order to allow teachers and students alike to better deal with the usual late summer heat. 

Extracurricular activities will still be planned for afternoons, the administration says, meaning that children will be able to stay in their education centers later in the day, at no extra cost to families.

Additionally, some changes have also been proposed to the grading system of students, while unions also call on authorities to fight against the court ruling determining that 25% of lessons be done through Spanish in all schools in Catalonia, going against the language immersion system of using only Catalan in schools, a measure designed to protect it as a minority language. 

The changes have provoked fury from the educational community, with unions occupying the education department overnight last week demanding that the minister changed his position. After an unsuccessful meeting between both sides, educators called for a five-day strike in March. 

En Común Podem called on the government to "rectify" the situation and both they and the Socialists demanded that forms of dialogue and negotiation be improved when making draft decisions.

However, the leader of the executive was undeterred in his defence of the changes. "It's not impossible to start before the course earlier, other territories do it. It’s only February, pre-registration has not yet begun," Aragonés said. 

Criticism

Salvador Illa, the leader of the opposition and head of the Catalan Socialists, argued that the government should engage in dialogue, explain their points, and listen to the educational sector. 

"They haven’t done this when a strike has been called,” Illa said. “A change of direction is needed, also in the forms; it's becoming urgent.”

Jéssica Albiach of En Comú Podem was highly critical of the education minister’s handling of the situation. “In the face of Cambray's disastrous management, will the president take control of the negotiation [with the educational community]?" 

President of Catalonia, Pere Aragonès, defended both his minister as well as the proposed changes that have caused such a backlash. 

The ERC head also defended that the government "wants to work on all proposals with maximum consensus," but stressed that the executive "is not afraid to make decisions and will not shy away from its political responsibilities" because they are determined to "transform."