The Ministry of Education has marked as central axes of the legislature in Andalusia the attention to diversity —"this will be the legislature of diversity"—, the improvement of academic results, and the reinforcement of Vocational Training (FP). In an appearance before a parliamentary committee, the Minister of Education, María del Carmen Castillo, has claimed public education not only as an essential right but as the main lever of future social and economic investment.
Castillo has reiterated the Andalusian Executive's purpose of turning these years into the legislature of attention to diversity, with the aim of ensuring the best possible education for all students. Supported by the Comprehensive Strategy already underway, she explained that diversity is understood broadly, including both special educational needs and situations of vulnerability as well as high abilities.
With this approach, the minister indicated, "the goal is to involve the entire educational community to enhance talent, ensure equality of opportunities, and promote academic excellence." At the same time, she emphasized "that in light of the 43% increase recorded since 2018 in students with Special Educational Needs (SEN), the budget allocated to this area has risen by 87%, becoming the Education program with the greatest growth."
The allocation per student with SEN stands at 7,500 euros, almost 2,000 euros more than eight years ago. In parallel, the staff of specialized professionals has been reinforced with 5,000 new hires (930 of them in the current school year), reaching nearly 15,000 specialists in Therapeutic Pedagogy, Hearing and Language, Guidance, and Technical Personnel in Social Integration (PTIS).
This last group has grown by 65.5% since 2018, exceeding 3,900 professionals. Furthermore, thanks to an agreement with trade unions, the quota of specialists has been expanded by counting students with SEN double. The minister has also analyzed the conclusions of the latest PISA Report 2025, warning that the improvement of academic performance is not limited to increasing economic, human, or material resources.
"Not everything we can improve expressly requires more money or more staff; resources only favor learning if accompanied by effective organization and quality pedagogical practices," emphasized Castillo, who has pointed out that "in Andalusia we are analyzing what successful countries are doing to learn from them, such as England, Japan, or Estonia," asserted the Minister of Education, who added: "We have a roadmap with measures in two lines: one to improve performance and another for the improvement of evaluation, to have a better diagnosis."
Despite the difficulties in key competencies, she defended the "advances" since 2018, linked to a 47% increase in the educational budget and the incorporation of 7,800 new teachers. Among the milestones achieved, she cited the reduction of seven points in the early school dropout rate —for the first time below 15%—, the historic low in young people who neither study nor work (14.5%), the increase of five points in the graduation rate in Compulsory Secondary Education (88.9%, above the state average) and the 50% increase in students enrolled in vocational training.
The counselor added that, to continue raising academic results, it is essential to review curricula and evaluation systems, promote ongoing teacher training aimed at specialization in diversity, ensure sufficient funding for autonomous communities, and strengthen the autonomy of educational centers.
As she explained, this autonomy should serve not only to design part of the curriculum, organize schedules, or choose management teams, but also because, as she emphasized, "resources are more efficient when those who know their needs best decide where they are allocated." Another of the major objectives of the Ministry in this legislature is the emotional well-being of students and teachers.
In this line, Castillo defended that coexistence and the prevention of bullying are key pieces for that well-being, although she warned that it is not "an exclusive problem of the classroom." She recalled that the Junta has already implemented agreed measures following the I National Congress for Coexistence in the Digital Age, including the possibility of applying the disciplinary measure of changing the center for the aggressor.
Likewise, it has emphasized that Andalusia was one of the first communities to restrict the use of mobile phones in class, "although we need family support to also control their use during leisure time." In relation to the teaching staff, the Andalusian Government has reinforced their protection by recognizing their status as public authority, creating Support Units for conflicts, and providing legal and psychological assistance to teachers who require it.
On the other hand, the counselor has positioned Vocational Training as a key tool to consolidate education as a "real social elevator." She has highlighted the radical shift that Vocational Training has undergone in Andalusia, which has gone from being a second-choice option to becoming the preferred pathway for many young people and for professionals who need to retrain.
To respond to the strong increase in demand, the Junta has expanded the offer by 78,000 places since 2018, exceeding 198,000, of which 30,000 have been created in the 2026/2027 academic year, accompanied by the incorporation of 1,216 new teachers. Castillo has emphasized that Andalusia has a Vocational Training model "of high qualification and competitiveness, modern and connected with the Andalusian productive fabric." The public Vocational Training network includes 3,832 training cycles, specialization and access courses, with 197 different qualifications (87% of the state catalog). The Education official has emphasized that 80% of Vocational Training students study in public centers, dismantling "the mantra of privatization."
"LET THE CHINESE GO TO CHINA TO LEARN CHINESE AND LONG LIVE SPAIN!"
From the opposition, Por Andalucía has requested that the decline in birth rates be used to "strengthen" the public network against the concerted one, which "remains intact." Adelante Andalucía has denounced an "educational inclusion crisis," has described the start of the school year as "chaos," and has criticized the "privatization of Vocational Training not with money but by not opening the necessary places" and "forcing" families to resort to private education to pursue these studies.
Por Andalucía and Adelante have also questioned the elimination of Arabic teaching in Andalusian centers at the proposal of Vox. Adelante, which has warned that these decisions are "sectarian and a very dangerous drift," has reminded that in the community's schools, English, French, and even Chinese are also taught. "Let the Chinese go to China to learn Chinese and long live Spain!".
Vox, government partner, has guaranteed its "loyalty" without this implying "absence of criticism." It has demanded a greater "effort" in matters of Technical Integration Social Personnel (PTIS), infrastructure planning, school transport, and provision of teaching staff, among other aspects. The PSOE, which like Adelante Andalucía has expressed its rejection of assaults on teachers at the start of the school year, has advanced that it will focus its oversight work on vocational training, the state of the centers, attention to diversity, the free provision of early childhood education, the working conditions of the PTIS, and "territorial equality" to guarantee education regardless of place of residence.