Salvador Illa stands up to the teachers' challenge

BarcelonaSalvador Illa is failing to calm the waters within the educational community. Unions have called for up to 17 days of strike over the next two months in protest against the agreement that the Government signed with CCOO and UGT, but not with USTEC. Salvador Illa's government, however, despite the scale of the protest, does not plan to back down and has so far defended the pact signed a few months ago. In fact, it has invited the majority union, USTEC, to join it. "An agreement has been signed that is the best one ever signed," stated the President of the Generalitat during Wednesday's control session in Parliament. These words are in addition to those spoken on Tuesday by the Government spokesperson, Sílvia Paneque, who made it clear that the Government will not amend the signed agreement, but will only put "arguments" on the table to convince USTEC, to whom she also invited to join in "implementing" this pact.

From the Catalan chamber, Illa assured that the Government maintains "maximum confidence in teachers" and that education is a "priority" for his government. In this regard, he reiterated that the executive is making "investments to reverse decades of disinvestment." However, the fact is that a few months ago the Government already saw the educational community take to the streets to demonstrate against the socialist executive's management and carry out an initial round of classroom walkouts. The Government has not managed to stop the teachers' discontent in the classrooms and now sees them rebelling again.

In fact, Illa's explanations have not convinced the opposition either, which has sought to capitalize on a crisis that has worsened in recent months. To begin with, Junts has already requested Illa's appearance in Parliament to provide explanations on this crisis. "This crisis has a clear cause and that is your lack of leadership, President," stated the president of the Junts parliamentary group, Mònica Sales. "You are surely the president who has accumulated the most strikes in education in two years," added the deputy, who compared the socialists' management with that of former ERC minister Josep Gonzàlez-Cambray: "It was surely difficult to worsen ex-minister Cambray's management, but you have succeeded." Illa reminded her, in this regard, that Junts was part of that government.

Mossos in educational centers

The called strikes come as the executive has also pushed through a controversial plan to introduce Mossos d'Esquadra into classrooms. A measure that the opposition has also criticized. Junts' darts have been joined by those of Comuns, ERC, and also the CUP. The leader of Comuns, Jéssica Albiach, has criticized Illa for defending a measure that she considers does not resolve the "conflicts" that exist in classrooms: "I am not here to stigmatize the police, but the police should be pursuing criminals." Albiach, in this regard, has asked Illa to increase the staff of psychologists and social educators instead of Mossos.

A measure that the spokesperson for ERC, Ester Capella, has also defended, asking him to withdraw this pilot plan: "In a democracy, the school educates, it is not the police that educates." The CUP, for its part, has accused Illa of adopting a far-right mindset. "They are adopting a mindset and a way of doing things that is not characteristic of public education, but rather of the far-right. We are very concerned about this," stated deputy Pilar Castillejo, who added: "If they have too many mossos, why don't they send them to the borders and we kick out the Spanish police?"

Illa has defended the pilot plan as a "test" and that it is being applied in the educational centers that request it. "Based on the result, we will decide whether to extend it or not," the president defended. The Minister of Education, Esther Niubó, has reiterated that the Mossos will not enter classrooms and will not be armed or uniformed. Responding to criticism from the opposition and investment partners, the minister also assured that the plan does not detract from expanding the staff of educators and social integrators in educational centers: "In 2027, the staff of socio-educational figures will be expanded".