Education will open files to the subsidized nursery schools that breach the regulations

PalmaThe Department of Education will open proceedings against privately managed (charter) nursery schools that have breached regulations. This was announced this Wednesday by the Minister, Antoni Vera, during the Government control session in Parliament, in response to questions from the opposition regarding the incidents reported by the workers of the 0-3 Network during the summer months. Vera distinguished between the situations detected during the summer and those that have occurred with the start of the school year. As he explained, during the summer period the Department does not have the capacity to intervene because it does not correspond to the charter hours. "In the summer we have no way to intervene," he assured.

On the other hand, the minister stated that during September "certain incidents" were detected in which the Educational Inspection can indeed act and that, in fact, it has already done so. "It has done so, with the law in hand," defended Vera. In these cases, he announced that the department will open files when breaches of the regulations are confirmed. The minister's explanations were questioned by the socialist deputy Amanda Fernández, who accused him of "lying" and argued that the regulation governing the ratios of preschools is applicable throughout the year, regardless of whether it is during the school term or the summer.

"There is a regulation that says how many students can be in a classroom, whether it is summer, winter, or whenever it may be," replied Fernández. The socialist thus called into question the Ministry's argument that during the summer months it could not act in the face of the incidents reported by the workers.

Vera defends the coexistence between public and subsidized schools

The debate about nursery schools has coincided with another discussion about the educational model defended by the Government. Vera has claimed that public education "is better than ever" and has assured that the charter school network has "recovered the dignity that was taken from it in the previous legislature." Faced with criticism from the socialist Álex Pitaluga, who has accused the Executive of favoring private charter education "to the detriment" of the public one, the minister has defended the coexistence of both models.

Vera has opted for a "coexistence" between the public and the charter sectors "with the same dignity" and has remarked that the two models are not incompatible. "They are not mutually exclusive," he argued. The head of Education has also assured that the Government defends "with facts and the necessary resources a quality public education." Pitaluga, for his part, has especially questioned the extension to ten years of the duration of educational charter agreements. According to the socialist deputy, this decision may end up causing a decrease in the public network and an increase in the charter one.