The Torrevieja branch of the PSOE has presented a motion outlining municipal measures to tackle what they describe as a sustained “educational emergency” in the city. During a press conference held on Monday 11 May, Socialist councillor Carol Ponce warned that the situation in local schools has been critical and urgent for years, calling on the local government to stop normalising precarious conditions in public centres.
According to Ponce, Torrevieja has seen an increase of approximately 6,000 students since 2019, a figure equivalent to six large educational centres. However, she denounced the fact that not a single new school has been built in that time. Instead, the response has been to rely on prefabricated classrooms, a solution intended to be temporary that has now become the norm. Ponce described overcrowded institutes where student numbers have jumped from 700 to over 1,200 in the same space, leading to common areas being converted into classrooms and playgrounds lacking shade or seating.
The PSOE motion proposes four specific pillars for municipal action:
- A Municipal Welcome and Enrolment Office: A year-round reference point to assist families with documentation, grants, and transport, relieving the administrative burden currently falling on school management teams.
- A Municipal Linguistic Welcome Plan: Aimed at providing language support for students and families who do not speak Spanish, ensuring they can integrate into school life and communicate effectively with tutors.
- A Local Pact Against School Segregation: To prevent the concentration of the most vulnerable students in the same centres and ensure equal opportunities for all families.
- Support for Public Education and Teachers: Clear backing for the demands of Valencian teachers regarding lower class ratios and better infrastructure.
Joaquín Cos, a teacher and local PSOE spokesperson, also spoke at the conference, urging the Councillor for Education, Ricardo Recuero, to support the current teachers’ strike. Cos criticised Recuero for remaining neutral in recent radio statements, suggesting he should instead demand serious negotiations from the regional education minister, Carmen Ortí. Cos remarked that the city’s educational problems cannot be solved with “motivational congresses” or celebrity interventions.
Ponce concluded by stating that Torrevieja is not asking for privileges, but for equality. She insisted that the city’s children are not “second-class students” and urged the Ayuntamiento to stop making diagnoses and start implementing concrete measures.