The Association of Mothers and Fathers of Students of FEDAC Pont Major presented a motion this Monday at the municipal plenary session of the Girona City Council to request the creation of a school-institute in the Pont Major neighborhood. The proposal seeks a public-private collaboration with the Carme Auguet public school, due to concerns about the lack of educational offerings in the area.
Demand solutions for the loss of ESO in the neighborhood
Anna Moreno, spokesperson for the AMPA, explained that Girona's school map faces a double challenge. On one hand, the declining birth rate affects the I3 (preschool) classes, and on the other, the secondary education offering has been reduced after the Narcís Xifra institute was converted into a Vocational Training center. Moreno has asked the City Council to urge the Departament d'Educació to create a shared dialogue table to address the situation.
"It's not an ambitious goal, but we demand that the educational offering from zero to sixteen years old return to Pont Major" - Anna Moreno, AMPA FEDAC Pont Major
The spokesperson also requested that the suppression of the FEDAC Pont Major I3 unit be halted while the feasibility of the school reorganization is evaluated, with the aim of ensuring the project's continuity. Moreno defended the need to ensure equal opportunities and described the proposal as a pragmatic and collaborative solution
The Department of Education rules out the initiative, for the moment
As reported by the local press in December, the Department of Education is ruling out the creation of the institute-school in Pont Major for now. Despite this, the motion was approved in the plenary session with votes in favor from PSC, Junts, PP, and Vox, while Guanyem and ERC abstainedMoreno has emphasized that the recovery of the full educational offering is the missing piece to complete the neighborhood plan in Pont Major
The City Council seeks consensus and short-term solutions
Queralt Vila, councilor for Education, has highlighted the importance of reaching broad consensus before making decisions. She has pointed out that, first of all, it would be necessary to recover the ESO and then decide on the most suitable format. Vila has warned that the census numbers do not justify as many places as are currently being offered.
"The FEDAC Pont Major and the Carme Auguet school have classrooms with many vacant spots that hinder the operation of the centers" - Queralt Vila, Councilor for Education
The councilwoman has assured that the City Council does not want any center in the city to have to close and that efforts will be made to ensure that FEDAC Pont Major is viable in the most lasting format and that it provides more educational solutions for the neighborhood. **The council is actively involved in finding short-term solutions** that benefit both FEDAC Pont Major and the Carme Auguet school, the Narcís Xifra institute, and the neighborhood's nursery school.