Catalan president spotlights education in mid-term address

Catalan President Salvador Illa announced this Monday that he will launch an education debate aimed at achieving a "broad national consensus" and overcoming the crisis in the sector.

The Socialist president committed to reaching a level of 6% of the GDP being invested in education, one of the main demands of striking teachers.

Illa made these pledges during his mid-term address at the Maritime Museum in Barcelona.

The head of government explained that he would hold a series of meetings with parliamentary groups to "bring Catalan education to a level of excellence."

President Illa distinguished this debate from a mere "diagnosis," linking it instead to "activating commitments" to move towards "action."

The process must clarify objectives and strengthen student learning, he explained.

Climate controls

The president also pledged to install climate control systems in 2,530 public educational centers, as well as 51 care homes by 2031.

Air conditioning has been another major issue raised by striking teachers, with some classrooms hitting well above 30°C at the start of term. 

The initiative involves a direct investment of €100 million to carry out the work in 100 priority centers by June 2028.

"Paralysis" and "extremism"

Elsewhere during his address, Illa took pride in having "definitively" left behind a "decade of paralysis and division," referring to the period in which the Catalan government was led by pro-independence forces Junts per Catalunya and Esquerra Republicana. 

At the same time, he warned of the rise of extremism. "Catalonia has a significant role to play," he asserted, in response to the potential establishment of an alternative global order.

"Let us raise the country's moral ambition, elevate Catalonia's collective spirit, and set the bar higher," he urged, while positioning the region's distinct identity and language as the "foundations of the strength" of the Catalan people.