The general strike empties the classrooms: a 72% turnout at IES Capdepera

PalmaThe general strike day in the education sector has left this Wednesday an image different from the usual school days: less movement in the streets, more silence in the centers, and lower activity than usual. The first impressions collected in several centers in Mallorca, Menorca, and Ibiza depict a day of uneven participation, with an especially high absence of students in some high schools and a more discreet impact in primary schools. In Capdepera, the strike had an especially high impact, both among the students and the teaching staff. 72% of the teachers have supported the call and the classrooms have also remained very empty due to the absence of numerous students.

Another of the most notable cases is that of the IES Cap de Llevant in Mahón, where almost nine out of ten students from third year of ESO onwards—the courses that have the recognized right to non-attendance—did not go to class. As for the teaching staff, 43% have stopped working. At the IES Quartó de Portmany, in Ibiza, the absence of students has also been very high: almost all students from third year of ESO to second year of Bachillerato and vocational training cycles have not attended the center. Among the teachers, on the other hand, the participation has been lower, with approximately two out of every ten teachers on strike (20%).

At the IES Joan Alcover in Palma, many students have also been absent, while among the teachers the impact has been minor. For its part, at the IES Can Peu Blanc, 28 out of 92 teachers went on strike (30.4%) and practically all students between third year of ESO and second year of Bachillerato (except for 7). At the IES Josep Font i Trias, 40% of the teachers and 70% of the students stopped their activity. In Menorca, the IES Biel Martí in Ferreries recorded 15 teachers on strike out of a staff of 62 (30%), in addition to massive participation among the students. At the CEIPIESO Pintor Joan Miró (Palma), the participation among teachers has been considerable and nearly three out of ten students have not attended class.

More calm in the schools

Regarding the schools, at the CEIP Aina Moll in Palma, with about 620 students distributed in 27 groups, between five and ten children per classroom were absent, as well as 30% of the teaching staff. At the CEIP Vialfàs in sa Pobla, they have also registered some absences among teachers and students, but the school considers them insignificant. A similar situation has been experienced at the CEIP Molí d'en Xema, the third primary school with the largest number of students in the Balearic Islands, where both teacher and student absences have been very low. At the CEIP Can Coix in Sant Antoni de Portmany, 7 out of the 22 teachers have supported the strike (30%).