Families make a move for school camps: 400 AFAs demand "concrete measures" from the Government

BarcelonaThis school year is anomalous for a large part of the student body in Catalonia. More than 1,000 educational centers have been left without school camps or field trips –or with significant cuts– by decision of the teaching staff. This movement is part of a pressure strategy by teachers to demand that they be paid for these outings and overnight stays (it was established last school year that they would be compensated with 50 euros per night, but the unions see it as insufficient) and, above all, to urge the Department of Education to sit down and negotiate the unions' demands. This Tuesday, the families made a move: 391 associations of families of students (AFA) have stood on the side of the teaching staff and joined forces to demand "concrete measures" from the government to recover these activities.

They have done so with a "collective petition," registered before the department under the umbrella of the Federated Associations of Families of Students of Catalonia (AFFAC). The document defends outings and school camps as a "fundamental part" of education: they allow for "connecting learning with the environment, fostering coexistence, and contributing to personal autonomy and group cohesion." But families are not questioning the teaching staff's decision to stop organizing these activities, but rather point to the department as responsible for finding a solution to the conflict: "We do not want to pit the students' right to a quality education against the labor rights of professionals," points out Jordi de Carreras, president of the AFFAC. They demand resolving the conflict with the teaching staff and expect a written response from the ministry and the establishment of a dialogue space with the families, as well as with the unions.

Those who are also on the side of the teachers are the students. At the Marta Estrada Institute in Granollers, the suspension of school outings has been "the straw that broke the camel's back," says Yasmin, a 4th-year ESO student. She explains that last school year they were already "overwhelmed" by the degradation of public education, with classrooms reaching thirty young people or teachers who are unable to cover the individual needs of the students. With the threat of losing the last school camps of her school career, Yasmin and her classmates have found much support to end up promoting a student assembly. They are already collaborating with teachers and families to find a solution: "We have to stick together," the student states.

USTEC-STEs, the majority union in public education, has welcomed the AFFAC's request. "We are in sync," shares Sira Ruiz, a union delegate and teacher at a school in Alt Penedès, who points out that the summer camps "are based on our voluntary work": "We are not paid and we have to cover many needs, 24 hours a day, without legal coverage," she highlights. However, Ruiz acknowledges that the cancellation of the summer camps is, above all, a pressure measure aimed at satisfying other demands regarding public investment or classroom ratios. "Nobody has called us," laments the teacher.

Leisure companies, invisible victims

Leisure companies are another collateral victim of the cancellation of school trips and camps. Pep Montes, manager of the Catalan Association of Leisure Companies, claims that this academic year the sector's activity has fallen by approximately 80%, and that it is mainly sustained by private and charter schools. This is why he finds the lack of consideration from the AFFAC regrettable: "We have no voice. We are astonished spectators of what is happening," laments Montes. The manager of the association—which groups more than 100 companies—shows his support for the teachers' demands, but asks that leisure companies be taken into account, as they are also being "harmed" despite their role in the educational community.

On the other hand, leisure entities like Fundesplai are joining the protest. They consider school camps to be "fundamental for the development of children and youth, particularly those who are in a vulnerable situation".