12-region vote blocks Spain’s school inclusion plan
Twelve regions have blocked Spain’s school inclusion plan at a meeting in Madrid on Friday, 18 September. The no vote came from autonomous communities governed by the Partido Popular and the Canary Islands. Six votes backed the plan, from Socialist-led regions, the Basque Country and the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports.
The proposed plan was meant to give Spain a shared framework for meeting every pupil’s individual needs. The ministry said it would support an inclusive, fair and high-quality education system across the country, while tracking whether the measures made a real difference to pupils.
Dispute over family choice
Education Secretary Abelardo de la Rosa accused the Partido Popular-led regions of letting an ideological, party-political strategy derail the plan. He said the vote would not halt work for pupils who need the most support.
Castilla y León said it voted against the proposal because it could limit families’ freedom to choose the type of schooling that best suits their children. The region says mainstream inclusive schools and special education schools can coexist, and that specialist centres remain vital for direct care and as support hubs for pupils needing highly specialised help.
Vocational training fund agreed
The ministry and regions did find common ground on 31,296,070 euros for Spain’s vocational training system, known as Formación Profesional. The money will fund Skills competitions, national and international training stays for students and teachers, school-business innovation projects, and further training for teaching staff and trainers.
De la Rosa also raised concerns about Spain’s PISA 2025 results, particularly reading skills. He said the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s comparative assessment showed that improvement was needed, but warned against treating it as the only measure of the education system.
Topics: Education · Jobs & labour · Politics
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com