The Education Department is offering teachers the assurance that no student group will exceed the student-teacher ratio next year.

BarcelonaFor the third consecutive day, the Department of Education and teachers' unions have failed to reach an agreement. Although a second salary increase proposal from the government was scheduled to be negotiated this Thursday, the union talks concluded without any new salary increase offer for teachers. However, the Department of Education did put forward other proposals, such as reducing class sizes, and will meet again with the unions on Friday to continue negotiating an agreement that, according to the Secretary for Educational Improvement, Ignasi Giménez, should be "the most important educational development since the beginning of democracy." So far, only one point of the proposal that the Department of Education is to present to the unions has been made public: a further reduction in class sizes. Specifically, the government has offered teachers that next year there will be no overcrowded classrooms, meaning that all schools and institutes will adhere to the established student-teacher ratios. Although no class should exceed the student-teacher ratio, the reality is that every year some schools find themselves with overcrowded classrooms, exceeding the permitted limits. Therefore, if the agreement is accepted, next year the number of students per classroom should not exceed 25 in preschool and primary school, 30 in secondary school (ESO), and 35 in high school (Bachillerato). Furthermore, the Catalan government has also proposed that in the 2027-2028 academic year (in two years' time), 25% of secondary school classes should have 25 students and 25% of high school classes should have 30 students. However, the Secretary for Educational Improvement has insisted that the agreement must be "comprehensive," meaning that as progress is made in negotiating aspects such as class sizes, resources for inclusive education, and improvements to working conditions, they will be able to "see what room" they have to make a new financial offer regarding the increase in the supplement.

Unions appreciate the effort, but say it is insufficient

The unions have criticized the Catalan Education Department for telling them that a new salary proposal would be the first item on their agenda this Thursday, which ultimately did not happen. Iolanda Segura, spokesperson for the Ustec union, lamented that the proposal on the table is "insufficient," since, according to her, teachers have lost 25 percent of their purchasing power, and the Education Department's latest proposal only offered a 4 percent salary increase. Therefore, Segura said they expect the Catalan government to present a new proposal with which "work can truly begin." Similarly, the general secretary of the Secondary School Teachers' Union, Ignasi Fernández, reiterated that the unions are demanding a 100% increase in the supplementary payment—which would amount to approximately 700 euros—and considered it "insulting" that they are being offered a mere 140 euros increase over five years.

The CCOO and UGT unions, on the other hand, have acknowledged the department's efforts to present the improved student-teacher ratios, but have warned that further improvements are still needed. UGT spokesperson Lorena Martínez stated that the proposed reduction in ratios is still "far" from what the unions are demanding and insisted that the agreement "must be comprehensive," including improvements in all the areas raised, not just one. Therefore, the unions reiterated that if the Department of Education does not make a satisfactory proposal, the planned strikes for the week of March 16-20 will proceed.