Overview
- After meeting regional officials, the Education Ministry refused to pause its draft law and agreed to set up a working group to address financing and implementation timelines.
- The proposal sets maximum class sizes of 22 in primary and 25 in lower secondary, caps in-class teaching at 23 hours in primary and 18 in secondary, and counts certain special needs students as two places.
- Minister Milagros Tolón defended pupil and teacher benefits, said the bill has the State School Council’s backing, promised an economic memorandum, and signaled staged application starting next school year and completing in 2031–32.
- PP-led communities, including Andalucía and Murcia, asked to halt or slow the plan and insist on funding and a consensual calendar, while Castilla-La Mancha and Galicia also pressed for financing, noting some measures are already locally in place.
- A new EsadeEcPol study reports small or no learning gains from smaller classes despite high costs, and unions and school communities continue to highlight staffing and infrastructure strains in schools.