A plot twist has occurred in the Catalan education system's teacher network. As ARA has learned, there will be no regional teacher transfer competition this academic year. Normally, transfer competitions for teachers in Catalonia's public schools and institutes depend on the biennial call for applications issued by the central government. However, some regions organize their own competitions in years when there is no national call. In Catalonia, the regional call for applications had not been opened for over 20 years, and the Department of Education... It was announced in March that the system would be reinstated in the 2025-2026 academic year. In practical terms, the Catalan education system would hold a teacher transfer competition every year.Finally, this Thursday the regional education ministry informed the unions that the competition will not be held this academic year. Sources within the ministry defend the decision, arguing that "the priority is the stability of the teaching staff and ensuring that personnel policies allow for the consolidation of educational projects in schools." They emphasize that the last national teacher transfer competition resulted in the allocation of more than 16,000 permanent positions. These same sources assert that many school principals "have expressed the need to return to a year of calm and internal stability" after an intense period marked by the stabilization processes and the impact of the last national competition. The regional ministry also explains its "commitment" to adding the positions that would have been offered this year in the regional competition to next year's call for applications, with the aim of addressing the needs of the teaching staff. Furthermore, they detail that "looking ahead" they will study the possibility of alternating regional and national competitions. They also affirm their "commitment" to ending the legislative term with high percentages of staff holding permanent positions "as a fundamental pillar for improving the education system."

In 2019 I completed a master's degree in economics in London. Shortly before I graduated, representatives of the British government visited the university to present their Fast Stream program for civil service accessIt was an attractive career path for young economists interested in public policy: a highly competitive, yet streamlined and competency-based entry process, with digital tests, joining the following year, an entry salary, and rotations between ministries while training to perform leadership and public management tasks.

The Catalan government commissioned a group of experts led by professor of political science and administration Carles Ramió to draft a proposal for public administration reform, a promise that various executives have embraced but that has never been realized with the necessary ambition and capacity for transformation. Well, Ramió's group has developed ten concrete proposals that, if implemented, would represent a true revolution in the public sector, changing everything from the way we work to the selection processes for civil servants and, above all, for the executives who are currently handpicked by political appointees.

Melanie Barba finished second in her class to qualify for the public prosecutor exam and in a few weeks will begin her internship in Madrid, where she is completing her training. Early next year, she will be a public prosecutor and will return to Catalonia to practice. Judge Isabel Olmos, born in Barcelona, ​​issued her first ruling in a court in Sant Boi de Llobregat and has been serving in the Fourth Chamber of the Supreme Court for about two months. Both have in common that they prepared for the exam with the help of a scholarship from the Generalitat (Catalan government), which, after more than a decade, The inactive exams resumed in 2022. This Tuesday, the call opens again for those who want to prepare to become a judge, prosecutor, or legal representative in the administration of justice.

The announcement of the brand new Minister of Public Function, María Jesús Montero, that public sector workers who have been on temporary contracts for over ten years ten years would be given a permanent post without having to take an exam has created doubts on its constitutionality. The measure, which was negotiated with ERC, has surprised Pepe Álvarez, secretary general of Union UGT, who has questioned whether the proposal is in line with the Constitution.

"I hope so," said the Minister of Finance and Civil Service, María Jesús Montero, just before entering the the Spanish Parliament to defend the decree law that seeks to end temporariness in the public sector. And so it was, though with not much to spare. The agreement was promoted by the former Minister of the Civil Service, Miquel Iceta, with backing of the main unions. However, it was opposed by other minority unions who say the reform will leave many workers without jobs. The reform has been ratified in the second round - it was tied in the first vote - thanks to the votes of the coalition government parties (PSOE and Unides Podem), ERC, Compromís and other minor parties.