Illa asks teachers to respect education and mobility rights during strike

Catalan President Salvador Illa has urged teachers to make a “pause” in their protests as the new school year begins, arguing that the right to strike must coexist with students’ rights to education and mobility.

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Surely we could have done things better.

In interviews with TV3 and Catalunya Ràdio, Illa acknowledged that the government “surely could have done things better” in its open conflict with teachers. He nevertheless defended the record of his administration, saying “no one has put more resources than this government,” which has committed 2.5 billion euros.

Illa called for a serious debate about the future of education in Catalonia, including inclusive education, school infrastructure, institutional autonomy, resources and evaluation. He said teachers were best placed to identify the resources needed, while families had a right to have their children educated.

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No one has put more resources than this government.

He also defended the government’s salary record, saying that when he took office, teachers were the third-lowest-paid in Spain and are now the third-highest-paid. He cited expanded reception classrooms and additional resources as part of the government’s work.

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A pause.

The president announced a school climate-control plan to be developed with municipalities and extended to care homes. The government is studying possible cooperation with private companies, while Illa acknowledged the scale of the infrastructure problem: one-quarter of Catalonia’s educational centers were built before 1965 and have deficiencies, according to his account.

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The families of Catalonia have the right to have their children educated, and I ask for respect for this right and for the right to mobility. But above all for the right to education.