The Government wants to strangle the advisory body of the educational community: "It does it by stealth and premeditation"

PalmThe Government intends to modify the functioning of the School Council of the Balearic Islands (CEIB) without prior notification. The CEIB, the highest body for participation of the educational community of the Balearic Islands, has rejected proposals from the Executive on several occasions. The change is to be introduced through an amendment to the decree-law that accelerates strategic projects for the economic transformation of the Balearic Islands, even though the decree has no relation to the educational consultative function. The objective is to reduce the CEIB's deadlines for issuing reports, a key process for it to analyze and make contributions on the regulations and projects of the Ministry of Education. Although, usually, most content proposals are dismissed and those of a formal nature are the ones that are ultimately incorporated.

Currently, ordinary reports have a maximum period of 60 working days from the receipt of the request and the rapporteur has up to 40 working days to review all the documentation, prepare the report and submit it to the president of the CEIB. Subsequently, the standing committee and the plenary review the report before final approval. The urgent procedure, reserved for exceptional cases, allows reports to be processed in a maximum of 20 working days, with a period of one month for the issuance of the report.

The task of the CEIB is demanding, because the reports involve reviewing all the documentation point by point, discussing contributions with all the counselors, and ensuring that the final report reflects a solid consensus on the educational policy of the Balearic Islands. Some counselors recall marathon processing, such as the inclusive education decree that the Pact government promoted and which Antoni Vera's Ministry of Education kept in a drawer to create its own regulations.

The popular amendment establishes shorter deadlines: the CEIB should resolve any query within one month, while deadlines for specific cases would be 30 working days. These cases include draft bills that the Government submits to the Parliament, draft decrees and orders concerning education, and general rules on school constructions and equipment. In the case of urgent reports, the deadline would be reduced to 15 working days, although in situations of special complexity, an extension could be requested from the competent minister. If the amendment passes the cut and is approved, the CEIB will have three months from the entry into force of Article 6 bis to adapt its internal regulations to these new deadlines.

The response is being prepared

The CEIB's reactions have not been long in coming. Authorized sources from the body have expressed their criticism forcefully: “They do it with stealth and malice aforethought, without notifying us and without any prior consultation. We are now seeking legal advice, because we believe that this modification should have gone through the CEIB. What they are modifying is an education law and, for this reason, it must go through the CEIB and have the corresponding mandatory report”. Furthermore, they add that “it is shameful, because they act behind the backs of the educational community, with an attitude of total contempt towards our work. They don't believe in participation. They intend to do what they want without allowing for effective participation”. It is worth recalling the interview of the president of the CEIB, Pepita Costa, with ARA Balears: "The Ministry is making educational policy without listening to the educational community and it is a problem", she pointed out.

Specialists and regular members of the CEIB point out that current deadlines are already tight, as rapporteurs must review all documentation, agree on contributions with the rest of the councillors, and prepare a complete report. Reducing these time margins could put pressure on the depth and quality of the reviews, although the text allows for exceptions in complex cases.