One Third of Lleida's Public Schools Suspend Excursions Demanding Educational Improvements

Over 70 schools and institutes in the Lleida region have signed a manifesto to pressure the Department of Education.

Generic image of textbooks on a school desk, symbolizing education.
IA

Generic image of textbooks on a school desk, symbolizing education.

One third of Lleida's public educational centers, comprising 71 schools and institutes, have decided to suspend school excursions and field trips for the upcoming academic year, as a measure to pressure the Department of Education.

This initiative, affecting 36% of the 195 public centers in the region and 32% of the total 223, aims to force the implementation of “real, structural, and effective improvements” in the public education system. Across Catalonia, a total of 783 out of 2,249 public schools and institutes, 35%, have joined this measure.
The decision to conduct school outings is linked to each center's management projects. However, a spokesperson for Lleida's directors explained that faculty meetings are held between May and June to prepare the annual general program (PGA) for the following academic year, which details excursions and field trips. This document must then be ratified by the school council, with participation from city council representatives, teachers, students, and families.

"We do not feel protected by the Department of Education. We need more social educators, psychologists, nurses, and teachers to address diversity, as well as to recover purchasing power after 20 years."

a spokesperson for Lleida's directors
In addition to suspending outings, some centers in the capital are also considering not accepting university students for internships next academic year. This measure could affect the viability of Education studies at the University of Lleida (UdL), especially in the dual modality. Directors argue that supervising these students represents an additional workload that should not be altruistic or performed outside working hours.