BarcelonaFor the third consecutive day, negotiations continue between the Department of Education and teachers' unions. This Thursday, the Catalan government presented a new proposal to the unions, promising reduced class sizes and increased resources for inclusive education. However, the meetings are still ongoing, and so far, the Department of Education has not made any public statements. The unions did speak, though, and during a break in the meeting, they outlined some aspects of the new proposal to the media. Among these, as also confirmed by the Department of Education, is a commitment to ensuring that next year no secondary school class exceeds the maximum ratio of 30 students per classroom. Although, as a rule, no class should exceed this ratio, the reality is that every year some schools find themselves with overcrowded classrooms, exceeding the permitted capacity. Furthermore, regarding student-teacher ratios, they have also proposed that in the 2027-2028 academic year, 25% of secondary school classrooms will have a maximum of 25 students. In addition, an increase in resources for inclusive education has been proposed, though details are still pending. However, in principle, the Education Ministry's proposal should be accepted in its entirety; therefore, none of the measures will be implemented without a salary agreement also being reached.
Awaiting a salary increase
At this point, the Department of Education and the unions are still meeting. As both sides have confirmed, at this afternoon's meeting, the Department of Education is making a new proposal for a salary increase for teachers. This would be the third salary increase proposal the Department of Education has made to the unions in two weeks, after yesterday, according to the unions, they were offered a 20% increase in the specific supplement over five years, which would mean an increase of €2,000 gross per year by 2030.
The price of the dining room is rising again.
The price of school lunches will rise again next year. Eating lunch at school will increase from €7.54 to €7.83 for regular students. This represents a 3.85 percent increase, according to the Official Gazette of the Generalitat (DOGC).
For occasional diners, the price may increase by 10%, with a maximum of €8.61. In schools where the lunch period lasts two hours, the price for regular diners will be €7.41, and for occasional diners it may reach a maximum of €8.15. The aFFaC (Association of Parents of Catalonia) has criticized the "excessive increase" in the cost of school meals at a time when the number of families struggling to make ends meet is growing.