The teachers’ union Alternativa has demanded to the Minister of Education and Universities, Antoni Vera, the “urgent and essential” reduction of ratios to improve the quality of education and comply with the Balearic education law.
In a statement on Thursday, the union has shared the statements of the minister, who pointed to the need for reflection to reduce school dropout, but has insisted on the need to lower ratios. As they have pointed out, it is not about making more hours of class, but to make them in better conditions. In their opinion, overcrowded classrooms are an obstacle to individualized attention, pedagogical innovation and the welfare of both students and teachers. In addition, they have referred to the Balearic education law, which establishes the need to create optimal learning environments, an issue that, they have remarked, “inevitably” involves reducing the number of students per classroom. In this sense, Alternativa demanded a reduction of ratios in the Bureau on the new curricula, held last Tuesday. A measure that, they have assured, is not only a union claim, but a “legal requirement and a pedagogical necessity”.
Arguments
Thus, they have exposed that several studies and international experiences show that low ratios are directly related to better educational quality, as they allow teachers to devote more time to each student, detect difficulties in time and adapt teaching to the specific needs of each student. Therefore, the union has demanded Vera and his Conselleria to prioritize the reduction of ratios as an “urgent measure” and to allocate “the necessary resources to make it effective.” “You can not ask teachers to do more with less, or expect students to reach their full potential in conditions that do not facilitate it,” they have argued. Likewise, they have insisted that the autonomous law of Education “is not a simple declaration of intentions”, but it is a legal tool that forces to take concrete measures to improve the educational system. Thus, according to Alternativa, reducing ratios is not only a question of resources, but of “political will and commitment” to a public, equitable and excellent education. It is also, they added, a commitment to teachers, families and students. The union has recalled that since its birth, in 2014, they have been demanding the “real” reduction of ratios and, consequently, will continue “fighting to ensure that the classrooms of the Balearic Islands are spaces where you can learn and teach in decent conditions”.
