4,000 arrivals spur Balearics smaller-class demand
Nearly 4,000 newly arrived pupils entered Balearic schools after the last school year had begun. Education and Universities Minister Antoni Vera says that flow means the islands need special treatment as class sizes are cut. He put the case on Friday at an education conference in Madrid.
Vera wants a dedicated clause for the Balearics in changes to Royal Decree 132/2010, which will set new maximum numbers of pupils per classroom at publicly funded schools across Spain.
He backed the aim of smaller classes but said the archipelago could not be handled in the same way as other autonomous communities. Vera pointed to the islands’ geography and the steady arrival of pupils during the school year.
The minister also said the Balearics have Spain’s highest share of foreign pupils. He called for extra funding alongside lower class limits, arguing that schools need the resources to protect teaching and plan properly.
Smaller groups already running
Average class sizes in Balearic schools are already below the limits in Spain’s education law, according to the regional Education Ministry.
This school year, 166 groups in the second cycle of early-years education, primary, secondary and bachillerato have been kept well below the maximum size set by the rules.
The regional plan for smaller classes depends on expanding school infrastructure and recruiting more teachers. Vera again backed the national goal, while insisting that the new rules must reflect the particular pressures facing the Balearic archipelago.
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com