UOB warns that the single school zone in Mallorca could foster elitism and school segregation

PalmThe Department of Education has presented a new proposal to implement a single school zone in most municipalities of Mallorca, with the aim of making the distribution of school places more flexible and giving families more choice of schools. According to the Balearic Government, the initiative seeks to simplify the enrollment process and allow families to choose their preferred schools beyond the current districts. This proposal would extend the model already implemented in Palma, where there were previously eight school zones, now two, and next year one, to other municipalities on the island. However, in larger towns like Calvià and Felanitx, several zones will be maintained to balance the school offerings. For certain programs, such as the Arts Baccalaureate, a single zone will be implemented between neighboring municipalities to expand educational options.

The proposal has met with opposition from both the educational community and the opposition. The UOB union denounces that "this measure does not guarantee the equal opportunities touted by the Regional Ministry of Education, but rather will favor precisely what has already occurred in recent years: school segregation, elitism, and the concentration of vulnerable students in certain schools." According to the UOB, the single school zone is "a globalizing and elitist measure that directly undermines community integration in neighborhoods and disadvantages families with fewer economic resources and greater mobility difficulties."

Not equitable

UOB Ensenyament advocates for a "transparent and fair system, with common, objective, and equitable criteria—which automatically eliminates points for former students—a system that provides schools with the necessary support and resources based on their needs, and effective and comprehensive regulation of private schools that receive taxpayer funding." They also emphasize that many families have already been denied places at schools where they previously enrolled a child, despite having sibling points, demonstrating that the current system "does not guarantee equity or the right to school placement." UOB Ensenyament urges the Department of Education "to abandon the obsession with a single school district and instead seek a fair system that guarantees equal opportunities, integration, and non-segregation." The Regional Ministry argues that the single zone will facilitate the choice of the majority of families and asserts that, in Palma, 95 percent of fourth-year preschool students obtained a place at their first-choice school despite the reduction in zones. The project is currently in the approval process, with open deadlines for submitting objections, and has sparked debate about how to balance the right to choose a school with the need for equitable education without socioeconomic segregation.