Catalonia will no longer subsidize single-sex schools

The Catalan government will stop subsidizing single-sex schools next academic year.

"In the 21^st century, schools that separate boys and girls in the classroom can no longer receive public funding," education minister Josep González Cambray announced on Tuesday, despite the Spanish National Day bank holiday. "Segregation gives way to stereotypes and legitimates sexism."

Of Catalonia's schools that are not fully public (known as 'concertats' in Catalan), there are 11 with some 4,000 students that still separate pupils according to their sex.

The government attempted to block public funding of these schools for the 2020-2021 academic year, but the decision was subsequently overruled by Catalonia's High Court.

González-Cambray, however, believes that the Education Department now has a greater legal foundation in order to enforce this as the Catalan education law explicitly states that these schools should not receive public funds. "They can take this court if they want to," he said. 

The government also argued in favor of this measure, which is viewed favorably by all parties except for Ciudadanos, the conservative People's Party, and far-right Vox, by citing a widespread social demand for it. 

"We want public schools that are high-quality, educating, welcoming, that promote the values of peace and diversity, and are democratic, social, feminist, green, and that teach in Catalan," the minister said.