The controversy of the use of mobiles in classrooms
The Minister of Education, Esther Niubó, has expressed its position on the prohibition of the use of mobile phones in secondary education, emphasizing that this decision must be evaluated by a digitalization commission that was recently established. “From my perspective, it would be recommended,” he said in an interview, although he stressed the importance of applying a sensible and grounded approach.
While neither ahead of limiting the presence of mobile phones in the classroom, he acknowledged that mere prohibition may not solve all problems. “Perhaps it makes no sense to allow mobile phones to be in class, since there are more appropriate alternatives such as computers and tablets,” he argued. The Minister insisted that the approach must focus on the responsible use of technology.
Expectations on the Language Law in the Educational System
Another of the hot issues addressed by Niubó was the expectation that the Constitutional Court supports the law on the use of Catalan in teaching, promulgated in 2022. “It is difficult to imagine that this regulation is declared unconstitutional,” he said with optimism.
When questioned about the possibility of complying with an adverse judgment, the Minister said that any administration must respect judicial decisions, although it reiterated its confidence that the law will be approved. He did not argue that establishing a fixed percentage of Spanish in the classrooms is meaningless, since linguistic diversity in the territory is considerable.
Reforms in mathematical education and the search for solutions
Regarding the academic results in mathematics, Norubó indicated that the Department of Education has implemented various measures to address this situation. When talking about initiatives such as Innovamant, he recalled that each institution has autonomy to decide on its use. “Our approach must be to ensure that students improve their learning and achieve educational success,” he said.
Challenges in Childhood Education and the Future of I1
With regard to Early Childhood Education, the Minister stressed that first level free (I1) is a complicated objective to achieve for the next school year without an increase in the budget. Although it is a government commitment, he proposed an “universalization” approach as the first measure, explaining that more public places are being created to facilitate inclusion.
Work conditions of teachers and the response to their demands
Norubó also addressed the situation of teachers, recognizing that they face high levels of stress and exhaustion, which translates into an increase in medical casualties. Despite this, he defended that, in general terms, educators’ salaries are fair. “We cannot say that teachers are poorly paid,” he said, highlighting that efforts have been made to reverse previous cuts.
Educational unions have expressed concern about the loss of purchasing power and have requested a plan that addresses these issues before the end of the course. In this context, he did not reaffirm his position on the remuneration of teachers, urging a constructive dialogue to advance in the improvement of working conditions.
Final reflections on the educational future
The Minister concluded highlighting the importance of adapting education to current needs, including technology management in classrooms and attention to linguistic diversity. With the commitment to continue working on policies that benefit students and teachers, he hopes that the next months will bring significant advances in the educational field.