The PSIB denounces a "political purge" in teacher training colleges: "An Excel spreadsheet was shown with the names of the 12 dismissed."

The PSIB (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) denounced a "political purge" in the Teacher Training Centers (CEP) following the dismissal of 12 advisors and asserted that it will involve both the elimination of positions and the placement of individuals "by hand." "For the second consecutive summer, the Regional Ministry has promoted a new blacklist," said Amanda Fernández, the PSIB's Education spokesperson in the Parliament and general secretary of the Socialists of Mallorca. "July 15th was the advisors' last day of work, and a meeting was held between the directors of the CEPs and the Regional Ministry. At the meeting, the Director General of Universities, Research, and Higher Artistic Education, Sebastià Massanet, "showed an Excel document with the names of the 12 advisors who would not continue" and "toward the sanity of all services, they would not be continued." He wanted to state in the minutes that he was unaware of anything," Fernández said. "It's a list drawn up by the director general, who doesn't even know who the advisors are because he's been managing the Training Service for a month. Therefore, it's a blacklist by Minister Vera, which continues the radicalization of Marga Prohens's government," he explained. "Vox says teachers indoctrinate, and the PP remains silent, but it executes by dismissing those who don't agree," he lamented.

According to Fernández, the sudden dismissal of advisors represents, on the one hand, a "reduction in the labor rights" of these individuals and, on the other, a "political purge" and the placement of "handpicked" advisors who are "sympathetic" to the Regional Ministry. The CEPs have a decisive role and have a direct impact on the education system: they determine training courses and their content. Therefore, in one way or another, they can shape what and how children are taught.

This Thursday morning, according to the PSIB (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party), an emergency meeting was held in which the Regional Ministry indicated that a call for applications to fill the positions would soon be issued. However, the Socialist lamented that now "is not the right time," as this call for applications should have been issued between May and June. "By the end of July, everyone has already applied, the service commissions have been announced, and few people will go to see if there are any places available at the CEP. Normally, they are announced in May," he said.

The Ministry of Education, for its part, explains that in the 2024-2025 academic year, there were a total of 40 advisors in teacher training centers, and that for the 2025-2026 academic year, there will be 36. "Despite this reduction, all centers maintain the established minimum number of advisors." The CEPs in Palma, Formentera, and Calvià maintain the same number of advisors. In contrast, the CEPs in Inca, Manacor, Menorca, and Ibiza lose one advisor each. "A merit-based competition will soon be announced, as provided for in the 2016 Order, to fill the positions resulting from the non-renewal of service commissions," says Educació.

Improvised performances

The STEI has also criticized the Regional Ministry's management of the CEPs. "Once again, Education is guilty of extreme improvisation: it didn't decide until the last minute how the teacher training centers (CEPs) would be and hasn't been the least bit concerned about the consequences some decisions would have for the people who had positions there just two days ago. In some cases, in fact, they would even have to take into account the well-known housing problems. The Regional Ministry's poor planning leaves those affected in a very precarious state," the union said.

According to STEI, the Administration has not explained to anyone what criteria it followed to dismiss the advisors who were there until now. "It seems that political use is being made of such sensitive centers as the CEPs, since the religious advisory office has not been touched—an office that is not regulated anywhere and is staffed by people who, according to regulations, cannot be advisors at a CEP. It is even more serious to know that the number of advisory offices that have left work when the regulations leave is below the 20 mark," the STEI explained. For its part, the SIAU union considered that the Ministry's actions "denote a lack of transparency and partisanship." "Education should not be governed by blacklists. There needs to be clear processes, based on merit and open to everyone," it said.

CEPs, a hot spot

This isn't the first time the Regional Ministry has made decisions that have caused a stir regarding the CEPs. In July 2024, Educació announced that it was no longer hiring the director of the Palma CEP, José Antonio Vega, nor the director of the Manacor CEP, Ferran Casbas, nor the director of the Inca CEP, María Jacoba Ximelis. The Regional Ministry appointed replacements "by hand" and without consensus. This led to the resignation of some of the teaching advisors who were working with the dismissed positions. In Palma, the new director was Catalina Ribot, the new director of the Manacor CEP was Bartomeu Frau, and in Inca, it was Irma Alanzol.

Regarding this incident, Fernández explained that it was requested that the management positions be put out to tender, as stipulated by the regulations. But this was not the case.