Europa Press Surprise in Catalonia: This Day Could Mark the Start of the New 2024-2025 School Year
The unions want the school year to start after September 11, but Education proposes to begin on the 8th.
In recent years, Catalonia has experienced changes in the school calendar. The trend has been to bring forward the start of the school year, a decision that has caused debate among teachers and unions. Now, the Department of Education is committed to repeating the formula applied last year.
The proposal for this year is for classes to begin on Monday, September 8, as already reported by Cadena SER. As in recent years, the start date of the school calendar is once again brought forward to early September, modifying the traditional scheme of the Catalan educational system.
A Date That Is Still to Be Finalized
This Tuesday, February 18, the unions will have to analyze the proposal presented by the Department of Education and decide whether to accept it or consider making modifications. In case of disagreements, a negotiation process will be opened. The aim will be to try to reach a consensus before the date is definitively established.
On Thursday, February 20, the administration will convey the final decision to the management of the educational centers. They will have to organize themselves according to the approved calendar.
Everything indicates that the school year will begin before September 11, thus reinforcing the trend of recent years to bring forward the return to the classrooms. With this measure, the Department seeks to structure the school year more efficiently, although not all sectors share this vision.
Despite this approach, the unions have expressed their disagreement with the proposal. They believe that bringing forward the start of the school year has not led to improvements in student learning nor has it had a positive impact on academic results.
Furthermore, they believe that this measure could create organizational problems for the centers and complicate teachers' planning. For this reason, they insist that it would be more convenient to maintain a start date after the holiday, with the excuse of ensuring better preparation for the school year.
Preparation and Organization of the New School Year
To facilitate the start of the school year, the week before the start of classes will be dedicated to preparation. From September 1 to 5, preschool, primary, and secondary teachers will be able to organize materials and plan the first weeks of teaching.
Additionally, the Department has announced measures to avoid delays in the assignment of teaching positions. The Minister of Education, Esther Niubó, announced that they will try to make teacher appointments in early July. This way, the centers will have more time to structure the school year.
The advancement of the school year remains a topic of discussion between educational authorities and unions. The administration defends the measure as part of a more efficient organization of the school calendar. However, teacher representatives insist that the change has not improved educational quality.
The final decision will be made in the coming days. Meanwhile, the debate over the best time to start the school year remains open in Catalonia.
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