Families on war footing because they don't close I3 lines: "They limit access to a specific educational model"

BarcelonaTo demonstrate with banners, collect signatures, or organize slow marches through the streets. These are actions that in recent years have been repeated when March arrives, a time for open days and school pre-enrollments, but also the moment when centers are informed about how many classes they will be able to offer —or not— the following school year.

The closing of I3 classes, attributed in many cases to low birth rates, practically impacts the affected schools, which also see how they lose teachers, and families, who have to choose centers that may not be what they would like. "We cannot say no to so many families who choose the school as their first option," point out members of the Association of Families of Students of the Els Pinetons School, in La Garriga.

The center is one of the facilities that next year will have one less I3 group. A situation that, according to the initial offer for the next school year, is expected to affect both public and state-subsidized schools, which will lose 20 and 14 groups respectively. "Given this, we demonstrated and have collected 1,500 signatures so that they do not close our group, nor any other school," assure from the AFA of the school from La Garriga, adding that the elimination of one of the groups would mean the loss of two teachers.

Sources from the Department of Education justify that the number of births in 2023 – the children who will start I3 next year – is lower than in previous years and that, therefore, it was decided to close the group. Nevertheless, members of the AFA of Els Pinetons insist that the closure can be a problem in relation to live enrollment: "It may be that once the course begins, the ratio will no longer be 19 students, but 20 or 22, and we do not want our children to live in an environment that is not positive for their learning".

The families of the school from La Garriga point out, however, that although the decision was communicated to them shortly before the pre-enrollments, these have been high. "Our school is one of the ones with the most pre-enrollments and this year it has also been like that," they insist. In this regard, Education recalls that the decision to close groups that has been notified in the initial offer is provisional and depends on which schools are chosen. In fact, normally in the final offer, public schools end up gaining groups and state-subsidized ones lose some compared to the initial forecast.

The closure of an I3 line has also affected families at Escola Joan Maragall, in Rubí, who have demonstrated in recent weeks to prevent it. Although Education also attributes this to low birth rates and assures that it does not reduce the public offering in the area, the school's AFA warns that Joan Maragall is the only public primary school in district 2 of Rubí. Furthermore, they also warn that the school is the only one in the municipality with a differential educational project based on project-based work. "Closing lines limits the possibility of accessing a specific educational model," detail AFA members.

For this reason, families have intensified their mobilizations for weeks against the closure of the line, and also against the suspension of school transport at midday. "We consider that the measures, far from reinforcing public schools and guaranteeing access to local education in Rubí, represent a direct harm to families," emphasize the AFA. Despite everything, Education indicates that there is currently a situation of educational oversupply in Rubí and that, for this reason, the group has initially been decided to be closed.

The Badalona school that has stopped the closure

An example of a family mobilization that has indeed had an effect has been that of the families of the Ventós Mir School, in the Progrés neighborhood of Badalona. They also took to the streets to protest the closure of an I3 line, and finally, it will be maintained next school year. In their case, last November they were informed that the group would be lost due to a lack of space at the center. An issue that, even though the AFA shares it, points out that it did not justify the closure of I3 in particular. "They told us that since we had double lines in the entire school, we lacked space, but the space problem is in the large building, not in the small building where I3 is located," explains Josep Pinedo, a member of the AFA.

For this reason, the families expressed their rejection of the decision, and with the support of the Badalona City Council, the line's suppression was ultimately reversed. "With the closure, we would lose 20 places in an educational area that has problems every year, because there are children who are left without a public school and have to go to a subsidized school or move," Pinedo assures.

Although the change is not reflected in the educational offer due to a discrepancy in the application, Education confirms that it is expected that there will eventually be two I3 groups at the school if pre-enrollment allows. Likewise, the AFA points out that the issue of space is a problem "that has been going on for a while" and demands that the administrations accelerate the construction of the new school. "We compete with other centers that do not have closed bathrooms and that have a new structure," laments Pinedo.