Overview
- Regional governments including Galicia, Murcia and parts of Valencia announced they would withdraw or shrink participation after the Labour Inspectorate imposed large fines, a crisis that crystallised at the Conference Sectorial on Wednesday.
- Labour inspections have fined several regions a total of €23.7 million for treating foreign assistants as undeclared workers rather than exchange students, and a February ruling by the Andalusian High Court supported the inspectors’ view in a specific case.
- The Ministry of Education issued clarifying annexes for the 2026–27 call late in May, but the Ministry of Labour said inspectors must act on complaints and would not guarantee non-enforcement, leaving regions exposed to further sanctions.
- The delayed publication of the call has shortened the recruitment window and led many prospective assistants to apply elsewhere, raising serious doubts about whether the programme can fill the roughly 7,890 places for next year.
- The programme has run for decades as a reciprocal cultural exchange using student visas, but inspections, court rulings and regional withdrawals have already cut assistant coverage and harmed students’ language practice, with authorities citing about 300,000 pupils affected this school year.