Magdaleno took part on Friday in the Education Sector Conference convened by the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports. There, he argued that the Spanish Government “cannot impose obligations on the autonomous communities without providing a financial report that makes them feasible and sustainable.” He also criticized the fact that “the assessments submitted on this matter have not been taken into account, despite the Ministry’s commitment to weigh them.”
He also said that it does not appear feasible to accept this “disastrous change to the rules of the game” for the 2027/28 academic year, as the Spanish Government intends, and indicated that, if the process continues and is conducted through genuine negotiations with the autonomous communities, its entry into force could be considered for the following academic year. “If we want a quality supply of places, funded with public money and genuinely responsive to the needs of the education community, the autonomous communities must be heard,” he stressed.
Magdaleno thus emphasized that “class sizes and teaching hours cannot be reduced behind the backs of those responsible for the powers and who sustain the education system; the state must guarantee a minimum level of financial sufficiency.”
VOTE AGAINST INCLUSIVE EDUCATION PLAN
At the Sector Conference, Aragon voted against the Strategic Plan for Inclusive Education. Magdaleno justified the decision by arguing that the plan “is not accompanied by the necessary financial report, offers a residual and highly biased view of the role of special education schools, and has also disregarded the contributions and proposals put forward by the Government of Aragon.”
Magdaleno said that Aragon does share the need for a common inclusion strategy, but considered that the Ministry’s proposal “does not take into account the reality of each territory” and would also “lead to an excessive increase in bureaucracy.” He recalled that Aragon has already incorporated several inclusion measures similar to those contained in the plan.
Regarding the first cycle of early childhood education, from birth to age three, Manuel Magdaleno reiterated what Minister Susín said at the beginning of the academic year: “Aragon will not make progress toward making this stage free until the state establishes its legal framework.” He again warned that, if the Ministry’s regulation is approved in the terms that have emerged regarding this stage, “the autonomous communities would be forced to plan and invest twice as much in educational infrastructure and equipment and hire twice as much staff to care for young children, all at a cost yet to be determined that would be added to the €583 million already mentioned.”
ON THE 2025 PISA REPORT
During the questions-and-requests session, the “disastrous” results of the 2025 PISA Report were among the issues discussed. Aragon said it would not give up on an education that is “high-quality, dignified and based on knowledge and effort,” despite the Ministry’s limited concern over the widespread decline in students’ performance. According to data released last week, Aragon experienced a “historic collapse” in the skills of 15-year-old students.
Magdaleno recalled that the students assessed for this latest edition of the PISA report took the tests in spring 2025 and began the first year of compulsory secondary education in the 2021/22 academic year, under the assessment and promotion criteria established by the LOMLOE, meaning they completed all of compulsory secondary education within that framework. In the Government’s view, this involved an “ideologized curriculum” and a “automatic promotion” pedagogical model that “dragged them along” and made it possible for them to “move through stages without reaching the required level.”
