The Ministry of Education has surprised the unions with an investment proposal of 3.3 billion euros, presented during a live-streamed negotiation. The new offer includes the creation of 7,700 new teaching positions and improvements in student-teacher ratios, particularly in Vocational Training and Official Language Schools.
The meeting, which had over 4,000 concurrent viewers, concluded without an agreement, as the unions need to consult the proposal with their internal bodies or the teachers. The next negotiation session is scheduled for Monday at 10 AM.
The proposal's documentation was delivered to the unions after they were seated, and was also sent to the 77,700 teachers of Valencian public education. The session began with a 45-minute delay due to "security reasons," and the live broadcast drew criticism from union representatives, who described it as an "election campaign act" and a "sale of a defective product."
The proposal specifies a total investment of 3.3 billion euros, a considerable increase from the initially estimated 2.4 billion euros. Regarding ratios, a reduction to 22 students per class is proposed for all Primary Education levels by the 2029/2030 academic year, and targets of 28 students for Baccalaureate and 25 for ESO by the 2030/2031 academic year. In Vocational Training, maximum ratios will decrease from 18 to 15 students in Basic Grade and from 30 to 25 in Intermediate and Higher Grade in the coming years. A general 10% reduction in ratios for Official Language Schools is also set to begin in the 2027-2028 academic year.
Regarding staffing, an increase of 7,742 teachers is proposed, including 5,000 new hires for inclusion support and 2,742 for ratio reductions. Furthermore, the stabilization of 10,000 structural positions is proposed. Infrastructure investments and timelines are expanded, while issues concerning remuneration and the Valencian language remain unresolved.
