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🇪🇸 Spain /Culture & Society

Education launches new school year with more than 1,600 centers installing air conditioning

From La Vanguardia · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources New plan
  • The Valencian education department says 1,616 schools have received funds to improve classroom air conditioning before the 2026-27 school year.
  • The transfers totaled €16 million, with each center receiving between €5,000 and €25,000, while the EduClima plan would invest €140 million over four years.
  • The school year will begin with 808,688 students and 83,921 teachers, as unions prepare new demonstrations after earlier negotiations largely failed.

More than 1,600 schools in the Valencian Community are installing air-conditioning systems as the region prepares to begin the 2026-27 school year amid late-summer heat. The Spanish weather agency AEMET has issued a yellow warning for much of the territory for the start of classes next Wednesday.

The education department’s current climate-control plan covers 1,616 centers. They received transfers in mid-July totaling €16 million, with grants ranging from €5,000 to €25,000, allowing each school to address its own classroom conditions.

Education Minister Carmen Ortí said the regional government worked to ensure the money reached schools by July 16. “The Consell made a very great effort so that those 16 million euros were deposited in the schools on July 16 and they, with their autonomy, could alleviate problems,” she said.

The Consell made a very great effort so that those 16 million euros were deposited in the schools on July 16 and they, with their autonomy, could alleviate problems.

· Carmen OrtíThe education minister described the funding transferred to schools for climate improvements.

The next stage is EduClima, a four-year plan with a budget of €140 million. Ortí said its goal is to provide climate control in every classroom. The announcement follows last year’s education strike and largely unsuccessful negotiations between unions and the department.

The dispute is not over. Unions have scheduled several actions at the start of the school year, beginning with a demonstration on Sept. 12. Ortí said the department remained willing to talk, but questioned whether the unions intended to negotiate after setting out their protest plans. She added that the department’s own goals would move forward if no agreement could be reached, including its stated aim of providing public education that is “free, plural and high-quality.”

The new school year is expected to include 808,688 students and 83,921 teachers. No classroom is expected to exceed 28 students. A pay increase agreed between the department and the CSIF and ANPE unions is also due to apply from Sept. 1, pending approval by an extraordinary meeting of the regional government.

After seeing the roadmap, where they establish that they will continue with their mobilizations, we do not think they intend to negotiate with us.

· Carmen OrtíShe responded to unions’ plans for further demonstrations.
About this summary

Originally published by La Vanguardia in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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