The teachers at the IES Politécnico ask Vera: "How many public positions will be eliminated between now and the end of the term?"

PalmThe Teachers' Assembly of the IES Politécnico is not giving up and will ask the Regional Minister of Education and Universities, Antoni Vera, if he has agreed with the opposition to close the center, taking into account that the planned renovation works will not be completed until the second quarter of 2029, almost two years after the regional elections. Families and residents affected by the closure intend to ask the regional minister during the presentation of the new CIFP Politécnico, scheduled for next Friday, July 25, according to the teachers, but Educació has not confirmed

In a statement, it has recalled that there are still two academic years left until the closure of the Government. They will ask Vera if he has agreed to this measure with the opposition, as he has assured that he has done.

In any case, the Assembly has insisted that teachers, unions, and families have filed an administrative appeal against the Ministry of Education's project. This legal proceeding has not yet been resolved, so they intend to ask Vera if he believes it is too premature to present the CIFP project, "ignoring this circumstance."

Another issue of concern among the Teachers' Assembly is the implementation of industrial vocational courses, which have a "very high environmental impact" and are typically taught in industrial estates. "What is the Regional Ministry's interest in maintaining this type of training in the city center, where access to heavy machinery and constant noise can make life difficult in the neighborhood?" the teachers asked. In this regard, they also want to ask Vera if his department still lacks a report on mobility, accessibility, and the potential impact of the implementation of industrial courses in the center of Palma.

The teachers, in their statement, also recall that the regional minister said in November 2024 that urgent work would be carried out at the IES Politécnico (Polytechnic Secondary School), which would involve the demolition of the school building, where only Vocational Training (VT) classes are taught. However, the works have not begun, and in March, they insisted, Vera said that the preliminary project was still being drafted and that there was no defined project. Now they want to know if the councilor is willing to show and detail that document.

They also want to know whether the Government's Educational Infrastructure Plan includes the cost of a comprehensive renovation of the building located on Paseo de Mallorca, as opposed to using existing spaces in the city's industrial estates, or whether alternatives have been sought to acquire a building in Palma to house the future CIFP (Public Secondary Education Centre). The Teachers' Assembly also criticizes Vera for stating that the Infrastructure Plan would be agreed upon with the educational community, a circumstance that, given the "multiple protests from different sectors," appears not to have occurred in the case of the Polytechnic. The creation of the CIFP (Public Secondary Education Centre), the teachers explained, has already resulted in the "destruction" of 300 secondary education places. "How many public ESO and Bachillerato places do you plan to eliminate during the last two years of the legislative term?" they intend to ask the minister. They will also question him about the existence of a feasibility report on coexistence between the IES and the CIFP (Public Secondary Education Centre).

Commitment to coexistence between centers

In May 2023, the Polytechnic created a joint committee made up of secondary and vocational training teachers, as well as the director, to prepare a feasibility report and express their doubts and concerns regarding the possibility of dividing the school into two, a primary school (CIFP) and a secondary school (IES). In general terms, according to the document drafted by the committee members, the teachers believe that the viability of this division primarily involves maintaining the teaching staff at both future schools.

It will also be a viable possibility, they elaborate, if joint committees are established to ensure the sustainable development of both schools, specifically with regard to space management and financial matters. The committee maintains that if any of these conditions are not met, the separation would not be viable because "it would be violating the will expressed by the teaching staff."