Second largest number of immigrant pupils

MADRID is the self-governing region that attracts the largest percentage of pupils with immigrant origins in its education system, with 4.44 per cent, while the Balearics takes second place with 2.43 percent. According to the information released yesterday by the Parliamentary Commissioner and Spain's Unicef Committee, the figure of more than 32'000 students of immigrant origin registered in Madrid's educational centres makes up more than a third of those registered in the whole of Spain. The 2'969 that are registered under the Balearics' education system accounts for 3.21 per cent of the total.
However, a percentage appreciably higher than that of any self-governing region is recorded in the cities of Ceuta and Melilla in North Africa, where the 3'173 students of immigrant origin represent more than 12 per cent of the total.

A report entitled “Enrolment in school of pupils of immigrant origin in Spain” considers children and young students of foreign origin who come neither from European Union countries nor from North America. Following on behind the two self-governing territories of Madrid and Balearics, come La Rioja and the Canary Islands, both with more than two per cent of this category of pupil. In contrast, in Andalucía, Asturias, Castilla y León, Extremadura and Galicia, the student numbers for the same category do not amount even to one per cent of the total. In absolute figures, behind Madrid are Cataluña (with more than 20'000) and Andalucía (with nearly 9'000) as the regions with the highest number of registered immigrant students, while in La Rioja, Cantabria and Asturias, the total doesn't amount to one thousand. In some areas of the Balearics, the local education system is struggling to keep up with demand and parents have been complaining about falling standards of education. A recent report states that Palma, for example, needs more schools at all levels to ensure that every child is not only guaranteed a school place, but also a good education. Another area where education authorities are having to assess the situation is in Inca where the population is growing by around 1'000 inhabitants per year, the vast majority being immigrants from either South America or North Africa. Between 1999 and 2002 2'397 immigrants registered with Inca town council compared to 1'423 Spanish nationals and there are children from the 52 nationalities represented in Inca, with its population of 16'000, attending local schools. The Balearics in fact needs 33 extra schools to be able to meet demand in 2006.
Recent studies have revealed that the education system is near breaking point in Inca, Ibiza, coastal areas of Majorca and the bay of Palma.