Editorial: School is out

The start of the school term in local state schools looks set to be hit by industrial action as teachers go head-to-head with the Balearic Government again over their three language school curriculum.  Last year the start of the autumn team was severely affected by a month-long strike by teachers who claimed that they did not have the necessary resources to introduce the new teaching system in Catalan, Castilian and English. In the end the government and teachers agreed to disagree and the dispute was put on hold but it  has returned with a vengeance. Parents, who initially supported the teachers in the dispute last September, are now said to be opposed to yet more strike action. The Balearic Government, meanwhile, will not compromise and are pushing ahead with their school plans despite the outcry. What concerns me is that local pupils, who have already been on holiday for the best part of three months, are going to miss yet more school because of an industrial dispute. One side is going to have to back down in this long running row. I have always thought that a three language learn plan is an ambitious target especially if local teachers are not trained in English to the highest level. I would urge the government to introduce the new curriculum slowly starting from the bottom, in other words children at primary school level and then work up. Ofcourse it is vital that local pupils learn languages but it is also vital that they go to school and get an education.