Antoni Vera: "Unaccompanied minors and newly arrived students attend not only public schools, but also private schools."

PalmCharter and public schools are financed with public funds and, in theory, have the same rights and responsibilities. This argument, repeated by the Regional Minister of Education, Antoni Vera, has served to justify the increase in financial and personnel resources in charter schools. Both must enroll students according to the criteria and objective point systems established by the Regional Ministry. However, according to the 2024 Education System Report (ISE), prepared by the School Council of the Balearic Islands, the sociodemographic differences between the two educational models are significant. In primary education, for example, public schools account for 67.9% of students of foreign origin, while charter private schools only accommodate 18.6%. The remainder are enrolled in private schools. For example, between the 2018-2019 and 2022-2023 academic years, public schools added 800 students of this profile, compared to the 228 that the private schools added.

In a recent interview with ARA Baleares, the Minister of Education defended the role of private schools and the improvement in resource allocation: "Unaccompanied minors and newly arrived students not only attend public schools, but also private schools, where they need support measures. When they arrive, they are distributed among the city's schools, whether public or private."

Beyond the minister's considerations, while private schools clearly welcome newly arrived children because they are required to do so, the inequality in distribution persists at all educational levels. In preschool, during the 2022-2023 academic year, public schools welcomed 4,507 foreign children, while private schools had 1,301. In recent years, public schools have added 247 and private schools, 125. In secondary education, the difference is also notable: 5,990 students in public schools compared to 1,748 in private schools, with increases since 2018-2019 of 945 and 238 students, respectively. These data show that, despite the official discourse on equality, public schools bear the greatest responsibility for the integration of immigrant and socially vulnerable students.

What explains this unequal distribution? Pep Lluís Oliver, PhD in Pedagogy from the UIB, points out that "a good portion of newly arrived families find their homes in working-class neighborhoods, where most school places are public." He also points out that "the supposedly voluntary monthly fees charged by many charter schools mean that low-income families don't list them as their first choice when pre-registering."

Regarding the concentration of foreign students in public schools, Oliver warns that "it presents significant pedagogical challenges." He explains that "it is said that up to 20% of students who need support to address diversity in each classroom is manageable, but there are public schools where the entire student body is from outside the country." "There is a lack of resources. And resources means people," he emphasizes. Finally, he warns that "the system is becoming dualized and will get worse unless the Administration takes measures to distribute students more evenly."

Two worlds separated by 500 meters

ARA Baleares compared two schools in the same school district in Palma, separated by just 550 meters: the CEIP Escola Graduada and the CC Sant Francesc. The differences between the two schools are evident. According to internal sources, Sant Francesc has 10% foreign students, while at the Escola Graduada—a preferential care center due to its social vulnerability—this percentage is close to 100%. In contrast, the CC Sant Agustí, also located in the district and close to the Escola Graduada, has a student body more similar to the general public.

Despite these objective realities, Minister Vera downplays the disparity: "I think both the Escola Graduada and the Sant Agustí and Sant Francesc CCs have a very diverse student body. A few years ago, there may have been more differences, but not now," he stated.