The indefinite strike, scheduled to begin on Monday, will be preceded by assemblies and community-open activities during Thursday evening and night. A total of eighteen centers had announced they would host these activities, welcoming teaching staff and families from other institutes or schools in the region.
However, on Wednesday afternoon, the directors of some of these centers received communications from the education inspection, prohibiting them from holding overnight stays. The reason given by the inspectors is that they do not have authorization to use a Generalitat facility to protest against the Generalitat itself.
“"This new attack on freedom of expression, which other centers throughout the territory have also suffered, adds to the set of abuses and coercion against teachers carried out by the ministry in recent weeks, showing an undoubtedly authoritarian stance."
The case of IES Berenguer Dalmau, in Catarroja, was one of the first to report the situation. This center, which is still in temporary classrooms after being affected by the flood on October 29, has described the prohibition as an act of censorship. The director of the center received a phone call prohibiting him from authorizing the overnight lock-in, which led to a change in programming and the abandonment of the institute after the evening activities.
At least two more centers, including IES Clara Campoamor in Alaquàs, have received similar warnings. The prohibition was made orally, by phone, and not in writing, which is considered an irregularity. Consulted sources indicate that this is a common practice by the ministry to exert pressure without leaving a paper trail.
The Ministry of Education has repeatedly denied that the general inspector gave instructions to prohibit protest acts, arguing that the authority to authorize activities in a center rests with the director. Furthermore, it has stated that area inspectors do not have the authority to act on their own in this regard.
