\The Sectoral Education Committee today discussed the drafts of the Transport Decree, the Education Inspection Decree and the Resolution on the profiling of teaching posts.

\ In the course of the meeting, a technical meeting has been scheduled for next week on the LOMLOE evaluation instructions.

The Minister of Education and Vocational Training, Martí March, today attended the Sectoral Education Committee, which discussed the drafts of two decrees that form part of the development of the Balearic Islands Education Act (LEIB) and the resolution on the provision of teaching posts with an educational profile. Also taking part in the round table was the director general of Teaching Staff, Rafaela Sánchez, the director general of Early Childhood, Innovation and the Educational Community, Amanda Fernández, the head of Educational Inspection, Camila Tudurí, and the secretary general of the Regional Ministry, Tomeu Barceló.

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Martí March pointed out the importance of the School Transport Decree as “the Regional Ministry takes on the transport of pupils from 3 to 6, making it compulsory, we also take on that of special education centres, almost all of which are subsidised except one, as well as that of pupils that the Regional Ministry places in a subsidised school because there are no places in the public school and we open up a series of alternatives in post-compulsory education, that is to say, in vocational training and Baccalaureate”. Finally, he added that “these are different measures to progressively achieve free school transport and a budget increase has already been planned for next year to cover these costs”.

The draft decree that regulates school transport presented today by the Regional Ministry at the Bureau incorporates the recognition of the right to the school transport service for pupils in the second cycle of infant education, pupils attending basic training courses in public schools and pupils attending state-subsidised special education centres, as well as regulating the use of the transport service for post-compulsory education pupils in non-university public schools.

The draft provides for three modalities: school transport routes as they currently exist, collaboration agreements with island councils, local bodies and family associations, and aid for school transport.

In the case of pupils from 3 to 6 years of age and pupils in special education centres, it will mean increasing the number of places available for the usual school transport routes, and will therefore be effective from the end of the current contracts.

In the case of post-compulsory pupils, there are different scenarios:

-When there are vacant places on the routes contracted for compulsory level pupils (already happening now) post-compulsory level pupils will be able to occupy them at no cost. Compulsory level pupils have preference.

-Cases in which there is a need for school transport that cannot be covered by regular lines or other authorised circumstances. In these cases, agreements may be formalised with the Island Councils, Town Councils or associations of municipalities, with the aim of extending places on existing routes or using other formulas. Currently, this is being done as a pilot proposal in Sineu and Santanyí, which have agreements between the Regional Ministry, Town Councils and the family associations of the centres.

• Exceptionally, in cases of urgent need, agreements may also be formalised for the transport of basic education pupils to subsidised centres when there are no public school places in their municipality of residence and public school transport has vacancies.

The administrations have to promote actions to facilitate free access to public transport for post-compulsory students in municipalities other than their place of residence when there are no public school places available in their area of residence.

On the other hand, today the Bureau also discussed the proposed resolution regulating the procedure to call for secondments for the provision of teaching posts with an educational profile in non-university public centres dependent on the Regional Ministry of Education and Vocational Training. The purpose of these regulations is to enable public schools to propose a certain number of teaching posts from the teaching staff quota linked to the application of significant aspects of their educational project, thus encouraging greater identification and involvement of the teaching staff in the implementation of this project through the participation of the school council, or the school’s social council if applicable, and the reasoned report of the school’s director.

A teaching post characterised as having an educational profile must be understood as a post which, in addition to having generic teaching functions, has specific functions assigned to it which require techniques, responsibilities, training or specific conditions of occupation arising from the implementation and improvement of the school’s educational project. These posts can only be filled by career civil servants with a permanent post and must have a favourable report from the head of the school, a certificate of a report from the teaching staff and a favourable agreement from the school board or social council.

Finally, the board today discussed the draft of the new Education Inspection Decree, which adapts and updates the regulations in force to date. Among other new features, this draft establishes the need to coordinate the work of the Inspectorate not only with the other departments of the Regional Ministry but also with the other administrations in order to offer a better service to citizens. On the other hand, the procedures have been updated, making them simpler, and the function of accompanying and advising schools has been reinforced.

Technical meeting on evaluation instructions

In the course of the meeting, the trade unions expressed their concern about the beginning of the application of the LOMLOE this academic year, specifically, they have mentioned the evaluation instructions. The councillor explained that the Govern understands the concerns generated by the application of the new law, especially in secondary education, and has promised to convene a technical roundtable on this matter next week with the participation of the Directorate General for Planning, Organisation and Centres and the Education Inspectorate in order to inform and introduce any improvements that can be made to these instructions within the framework of the law. He also explained that information and training on the new curricula will be increased throughout the educational community. The councillor acknowledged the efforts made by the unions in terms of dialogue on these issues and reminded the audience that “‘application of the LOMLOE is compulsory and that, as we have said on other occasions, we would have liked to have had more time to implement it. Even so, there are still many communities that have not yet approved the curricula and we did so on 1 August and, even before it was approved, the dissemination and training to implement it had already begun”.