More than 75% of teachers in the Balearic Islands warn of an increase in conflict in the classrooms

PalmMore than three-quarters of teachers in the Balearic Islands warn that a "conflictive and complicated" climate has taken hold in the archipelago's schools, marked by an increase in verbal and physical aggression from both students and families. This is one of the main conclusions of a nationwide survey conducted by the STEI teachers' union, in which more than 1,200 teachers from the Balearic Islands and more than 13,000 across Spain participated. Specifically, 78.9% of teachers in the Balearic Islands report perceiving conflict in schools. Furthermore, 79.4% say they have seen an increase in verbal—and occasionally physical—aggression from students, while 75% maintain that this increase is also occurring among families. These figures are close to the national average, where 82.6% of teachers describe the classroom environment as conflictive and 83.1% report an increase in student aggression. Regarding families, 76.7% of teachers nationwide also note an increase in these situations.

The survey also focuses on teachers' perceptions of education policies. In the Balearic Islands, 60.5% of teachers believe that the authorities are not clearly committed to public schools and, instead, are favoring privatization. This view is even more widespread at the national level, where 75.7% of teachers believe that the authorities are not sufficiently strengthening the public education system. Material and working conditions are another major source of discontent. In the Balearic Islands, 74.4% of teachers state that they lack the necessary resources—spaces, materials, and technology—to guarantee a quality education. This same deficiency is reported by 75.7% of teachers across the country. Furthermore, almost all teachers, both in the Balearic Islands (96.8%) and in Spain (95.7%), warn that excessive administrative bureaucracy reduces the time they have to dedicate to teaching.

Overcrowded classrooms

High student-teacher ratios in classrooms are another of the most criticized factors. 91.5% of teachers in the Balearic Islands believe that the number of students per classroom does not allow for adequate attention to the growing diversity of the student body, an opinion shared by 91.8% of teachers nationwide. This situation, according to the survey, has direct consequences for educational quality and teacher well-being. The study also highlights the impact of excessive workload on teachers' personal and emotional lives. In the Balearic Islands, 77.4% say that excessive working hours negatively affect work-life balance and their emotional equilibrium, a percentage very similar to that recorded for Spain as a whole (77.8%). Regarding social and institutional recognition, the data reflect a strong feeling of vulnerability. 67% of teachers in the Balearic Islands do not feel supported by educational authorities, while this perception rises to 85.8% at the national level. Similarly, 87.9% of teachers in the Balearic Islands believe that society does not sufficiently value their work, an opinion shared by 88.3% of teachers nationwide. However, in the Balearic Islands, 50.8% of teachers believe that their students' families do recognize their work, a more optimistic perception than that recorded nationally, where 46.3% believe that families do not value teachers' work. Finally, the survey highlights the teachers' dissatisfaction with their salaries. In the Balearic Islands, 87.4% of teachers state that their salary is inadequate, a perception that is also widely shared nationally, where 88.3% consider their current remuneration insufficient and 91.9% complain that salaries have not been adjusted in accordance with the increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in recent years.