I work from a home office of the fifth floor of an apartment near the centre of Alicante. And the street I live on is the assembly point for the many demonstrations which take place here. Alicante is the capital of the southern province of the Valencia Region of Spain. It is a large Province and the location of my home office has given me a birds eye view of the growing crisis in public education in Valencia (see picture above). And, for once AI is not the biggest issue in education.

Since May 2026, the Valencian Community has been the epicenter of a historic, indefinite teachers’ strike — the largest of its kind in nearly four decades [1] [2]. This mobilisation highlights a deep-seated conflict between the educational community and the regional government, one that resonates deeply with many of us who live and work here, as it concerns not just labour rights, but the very future of our public education system.

To understand the current dispute, it is necessary to go back to the political upheaval of recent years. The Valencian government has been led by the People’s Party (PP) since 2023, initially under President Carlos Mazón. However, Mazón resigned in November 2025 under intense public and political pressure over his administration’s catastrophic mishandling of the DANA storm of October 2024, which killed over 220 people across the region [3]. He was replaced by Juanfran Pérez Llorca, also of the PP, who was invested as the new President of the Valencian Government on 28 November 2025 [4]. The current conflict with teachers, therefore, falls squarely under the Pérez Llorca administration – though many of the policies that fuelled teacher discontent were set in motion under his predecessor.

The roots of the dispute trace back to significant policy shifts and budget cuts implemented since the PP came to power. In 2023, the outgoing government had reached an agreement with unions to expand the teaching workforce by over 5,000 professionals [5]. The Mazón administration abruptly annulled this agreement, citing a lack of budgetary provision, and suspended the concurso de traslados – the formal transfer competition through which permanent teachers are allocated a definitive school placement – leaving 11,000 teachers in professional limbo with no fixed post [5]. The situation was further exacerbated by a reduction of 122 million euros in the Pla Edificant, a vital program dedicated to the construction and renovation of public school infrastructure [5]. The Pérez Llorca government, which inherited these policies, has largely continued in the same direction, and has failed to reach a negotiated settlement with the unions despite months of pressure.

At the heart of the teachers’ demands are issues that directly affect the quality of education our children receive. Foremost among these is the urgent need to reduce class sizes. Educators are calling for a maximum of 15 students per classroom in primary education, and a cap of 20 in secondary education and Bachillerato [2]. In classrooms that are increasingly diverse and complex, lower ratios are essential for providing the personalized attention that students need to thrive [5]. Furthermore, teachers are demanding the recovery of purchasing power lost over the past two decades — the regional salary supplement has not been revised in twenty years [2]. The Pérez Llorca government’s offer of a phased 200-euro monthly increase to the regional supplement, spread over three years, has been deemed wholly insufficient by the major unions [6].

The conflict also encompasses concerns over language policy and equity in school admissions. The introduction of a “single district” (distrito único) admission system has drawn sharp criticism from educators, who argue that it exacerbates social segregation by favouring families with greater resources and channelling students toward private, subsidized schools (colegios concertados) at the expense of public institutions [5]. Legislative changes regarding the use of the Valencian language in schools have been perceived by much of the educational community as an attack on linguistic rights and a step backward for bilingual education [5]. The severe cuts to the Official Language Schools (Escuelas Oficiales de Idiomas) further underscore the administration’s contentious approach to public education [5].

The response from teachers has been remarkable. Despite the financial strain of an indefinite strike and the imposition of strict minimum services — widely seen as an attempt to break the action rather than protect citizens — thousands have taken to the streets in Valencia, Alicante, and Castellón [1] [7]. They have organized grassroots assemblies, set up protest camps in the Plaza de la Virgen in the city of Valenica, and drawn support from families, students, and international educational organizations [1]. As one commentary put it, the strike is “not merely a union-driven strike” but a broad civic movement fighting for “a better, higher-quality education for everyone” [1]. For those of us living in this community, that is a cause well worth understanding and supporting.

References

[1]: https://internationalviewpoint.org/Public-education-comes-to-a-standstill-in-a-historic-strike-in-Valencia “International Viewpoint. “Public education comes to a standstill in a historic strike in Valencia.”

[2]: https://eldiariodelaeducacion.com/2026/05/13/huelga-indefinida-educacion-comunidad-valenciana-2026/ “El Diario de la Educación. “El profesorado valenciano exige más recursos en su primera huelga indefinida en décadas.”

[3]: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/nov/03/valencia-president-carlos-mazon-resigns-deadly-floods-spain “The Guardian. “Valencia president Carlos Mazón resigns over botched flood response.”

[4]: https://elpais.com/espana/2025-11-27/ultima-hora-de-la-actualidad-politica-en-directo.html “El País. “Pérez Llorca es investido nuevo presidente de la Comunitat Valenciana.”

[5]: https://www.elsaltodiario.com/educacion-publica/recortes-del-gobierno-mazon-protagonizan-fin-curso-escolar “El Salto. “Los recortes del gobierno de Mazón protagonizan el fin de curso escolar.”

[6]: https://www.infobae.com/espana/2026/05/19/huelga-de-profesores-y-maestros-en-la-comunidad-valenciana-que-piden-los-docentes-y-que-ofrece-la-generalitat/ “Infobae. “Huelga de profesores y maestros en la Comunidad Valenciana: ¿qué piden los docentes y que ofrece la Generalitat?”

[7]: https://diariodealicante.net/en/huelga-educativa-protestas-valencia-alicante-castellon/ “Diario de Alicante. “The education strike continues with protests in Valencia, Alicante and Castellón.”