The agreement entails the recruitment of 359 secondary school teachers and an additional 304 for early years and primary education.
Santa Cruz de Tenerife, 8 Apr. (Press Europa) –
The recent technical working groups convened last month between the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, Physical Activity and Sports of the Canary Islands Government and representatives from various trade unions have resulted in new initiatives for the three-year multiannual strategy aimed at reducing class sizes in non-university public institutions across the archipelago.
This proposal revises the Agreement for the Enhancement of the Public Educational System of the Canary Islands, a pact between the government and unions that was signed in 2022, and has garnered significant backing from the parties involved in the discussions.
Overall, the Plan sets out to progressively establish maximum class sizes of 16, 18, and 20 students for the levels of 3, 4, and 5 years in early childhood education, respectively; it also aims to decrease the maximum class size in primary education from 25 to 22, and maintain a maximum of 25 throughout the secondary education phase.
According to the area’s councillor, Poli Suárez, the proposal put forth by the Ministry “undoubtedly represents the most ambitious commitment made to date towards an inclusive, fair, and high-quality education,” and also “illustrates the ongoing willingness to engage in dialogue and consensus to embrace contributions aimed at enhancing the educational system of the islands.”
In this context, Suárez expressed appreciation that these measures have received the backing of the entire educational community: “We have worked collaboratively to pursue this mission and we will continue to strive so that this improvement is not merely a milestone, but that it progresses further in the near future.”
It’s not surprising that this plan anticipates the addition of 304 educators in early childhood and primary education, given that the student-to-teacher ratio in primary education has remained unchanged since 1991. This initiative positions the Canary Islands among the regions with the smallest number of students in classrooms, alongside Aragon and Castilla y León, both maintaining a maximum of 22 students.
The proposal also identifies circumstances under which an even lower ratio of 20 can be established in classes accommodating students with special educational needs or those with significant behavioural issues or severe communication or language difficulties.
Among the Regions with the Lowest Ratios
For secondary education, 359 educators will be appointed, and with a maximum ratio of 25 students per class for all courses from 1st to 4th of ESO, the islands will rank among the eight regions that have successfully reduced the previously established maximum of 30 for the entire nation, aligning with regions that offer the lowest limits, such as Asturias (23), Basque Country (25), or Galicia (25).
In cases where classes include students with special educational needs or those facing significant behavioural challenges or communication disorders, the student-to-teacher ratio will decrease to 22, according to a report from the Ministry.
Regarding the early childhood education stage, the ratio will be adjusted from 18 to 16 at the 3-year level, and from the current 23, as classes of 4 years and 5 years will have ratios of 18 and 20, respectively.
Similarly, the maximum ratio will be lowered in groups where a combination of two levels is anticipated due to a smaller number of students.
This reduction will establish the Canary Islands as having the most favourable student-to-teacher relationship in this educational stage throughout the country.
In terms of resources for catering to diverse needs, the new document includes a significant enhancement in support staff, with a minimum of 122 new professionals, reducing the ratio to one teacher for every 250 students in early childhood and primary education. It will also allow secondary schools with over 800 students to employ two full-time guidance counsellors, as well as retain the improvements made this academic year with 47 and 135 teachers specialising in therapeutic language and pedagogy, respectively.
Moreover, the allocation of support teachers has been included to enhance linguistic and mathematical skills in 15 percent of the schools that exhibit lower results in the diagnostic assessments conducted annually.
