The chaos of pre -enrollment school
On any afternoon, while I pick up my children from school, I am immersed in an animated conversation between parents. Between laughter and colored backpacks, one of the mothers looks at me with an ironic smile and a disturbing tone: “It’s easy to talk about when you are already securing your eldest son’s square.” Moments before, at work, a colleague had let go of a phrase that made me feel like defending a lost cause: “You bring your children to a school for projects, but when the places arrive, you are not so flexible …”. Frustration brings me to a statement that, at the same time, surprises me: “But why can’t we want a quality school near home?”
The cycle of despair
Every year, the pre -registration season in Sabadell becomes a real nightmare for many families. The anguish of not knowing if they will find a place in public school in their neighborhood is repeated as a mantra. The emotional wear and tear of a bureaucratic system lacking in clear answers has become common. Instead of facing the reality of the lack of places, the debate is polarized, presenting educational quality as an enemy of the right to school children near home. But this vision is both wrong and dangerous: the real problem lies in the insufficiency of places and the lack of commitment to public education.
Concene of the current system
The situation is especially alarming in the neighborhoods of the center and the Creu Alta, where most of the concerted schools are concentrated. Families are forced to opt for private centers subsidized for fear of running out of place or assigned to distant schools. This dynamic not only favors concerted schools, but also perpetuates inequality between public and private centers, as the former cannot compete with the resources received by the second. With each enrollment in a concerted school, public education is weakened, strengthening a system that is based on selection and segregation.
A debate that divides us
The simplistic debate that has been established is not only a reflection of the educational reality, but has become a strategy that promotes the division between families. Instead of directing our outrage to institutions responsible for guaranteeing quality public education, we face each other in a sterile struggle. This narrative deprives us of pre-registration as a time of conscious choice, making it a race for logistical information.
The role of media and priorities
Local media play a crucial role in this scenario. Instead of providing a deep analysis of the situation, they often spread messages that perpetuate confusion. Present the increase in ratios as a positive measure without considering its real consequences only exacerbates the problem. While some schools are on the limit, others are struggling to stay alive in a lack of lack of resources and institutional support.
Educational models that work
Examples such as the Samuntada School, which has gone from being a option rejected to a model to follow, show that innovative solutions are possible. But instead of strengthening these initiatives, institutions ignore them, perpetuating a system that does not protect or enhance public education. Thus the opportunity to build strong educational communities that work together for the accompaniment of children are lost.
A call to action
To face the challenge of education in Sabadell cannot be a task that is based on annual improvisations. The solution is not to increase ratios or saturate schools. Families are not the problem; Institutions must acknowledge that the question is structural. We need a real commitment to ensure that each child has access to quality education, building support networks and joining communities instead of dividing them. It is enough to accept inappropriate solutions that move us away from the true need for a fair education system and accessible to everyone.