This Tuesday, the cut-off scores for intermediate and advanced vocational training programs were published on the Department of Education's pre-registration website. The scores can be filtered by entrance exam score, region, program, shift, and center. Meanwhile, the Barcelona Education Consortium announced that next year the Pablo R. Picasso Institute, in the Nou Barris district, will expand its vocational training offerings with two new programs and begin specializing in the railway sector. Specifically, it will offer an intermediate-level program in railway rolling stock maintenance and another in administrative management focused on the railway transport sector. Also in Barcelona, the Institute of Design and Graphic Arts will expand its offerings, adding an intermediate-level program in graphic printing and an advanced-level program in print design.
The teachers' standoff with the government continues in the south of the country: almost four out of ten teachers have gone on strike
Around 5,000 people demonstrate in Tarragona and Tortosa against the agreement signed between Educació, CCOO and UGT
BarcelonaOn the second day of the week of strikes in the education sector, the teachers' protest not only maintained its momentum but actually increased. This Tuesday, the strikes were called in the territorial services of Penedès, Tarragona, and Terres de l'Ebre, and according to the tally provided by the Department of Education, participation rose to 38.48%, six and a half points higher than Monday's strike in Barcelonès and Baix Llobregat (31%). However, the unions calling the mobilization (USTEC – the largest in the sector – Secondary School Teachers, CGT, and Intersindical) again reported a much higher number of professionals participating in the strike: they claim that 70% walked off the job on this second day of protest.
Regarding the demonstrations, up to 5,000 teachers took to the streets this Tuesday at midday in Tarragona – where, according to the Guardia Urbana (local police), there were 4,000 protesters, while the unions claimed 10,000 – and in Tortosa. Furthermore, as also occurred on Monday, early in the morning several teachers blocked the AP-2 exit to Montblanc towards the N-240, the N-240 itself, and the access roads to the port of Tarragona via the A-27 for almost two hours. In the Ebro region, around thirty vehicles also staged a slow-moving protest from La Ràpita to Tortosa, and in Vilafranca del Penedès, a group of teachers staged an all-night sit-in at the Milà i Fontanals Institute and, for several hours in the morning, prevented students from entering the school.
Negotiations are not reopened
Despite the mobilization of the first two days of the week, the Catalan government has yet to make any move. This Tuesday, the government spokesperson, Sílvia Paneque, reiterated that negotiations will not be reopened and urged the unions to maintain their strike this week and join the agreement signed with CCOO and UGT. The minister defended last week's agreement as "good" and assured that the government is focused on implementing it "as soon as possible." In this regard, Paneque highlighted the salary increase—3,000 euros gross over four years—included. "They have every right to strike and to mobilize, but it's no small thing that they've gone from being at the back to the front," she insisted.
From USTEC, spokesperson Iolanda Segura stated that she considers it "utterly irresponsible" that the Catalan government has not reopened negotiations with all unions and warned that if the Department of Education does not resume negotiations, "the strike will grow and will overwhelm Barcelona on Friday." Meanwhile, on Tuesday, CCOO and UGT reiterated their support for the signed agreement. Furthermore, CCOO General Secretary Belén López accused USTEC of having a strategy of "complaining for the sake of complaining." "The problem in education is underfunding, and the agreement with the Department of Education represents a significant step forward with an additional 2 billion euros for two of the major challenges: inclusive education and staff salaries," López argued.
This Wednesday, the teachers' mobilization will move to schools and institutes in the territorial services of Central Catalonia, Lleida, and the Alt Pirineu i Aran, with demonstrations planned in Manresa, La Seu d'Urgell, and Lleida.
