Catalonia is once again facing the issue of a shortage of specialists working with children from socially vulnerable families. Education experts warn that without an urgent increase in the number of social educators and integration professionals, the situation in schools could spiral out of control. They estimate that the current staff is unable to cope with the rising number of students in need of support.
Currently, one specialist is responsible for about a thousand children facing difficulties due to their social circumstances. Moreover, the number of such students is only increasing, while the staff has, on the contrary, been cut. This leads to overloaded schools, lower education quality, and rising tensions within educational institutions.
Acute staff shortage
According to official data, the region has nearly 300,000 schoolchildren who require additional social support. However, educational institutions have just 60 social educators and 240 integration specialists at their disposal. Over the past year, staff numbers dropped by another 128 after funding cuts linked to post-pandemic crisis measures.
Catalonia has more than 700 schools recognized as socially challenging based on their student population. To work effectively with these children and their families, experts believe at least 759 specialists are needed. This would require about 32 million euros, but so far, a decision on funding has not been made.
Growing challenges
The number of children requiring special attention increases every year. The surge in so-called ‘live’ enrollment—when students join schools during the academic year—is especially notable. Last year alone, over 27,000 new students entered the Catalonia education system, many of whom do not speak Spanish or Catalan and face challenges adapting.
Educators point out that, without enough integration specialists and social educators, it becomes nearly impossible to engage with families, prevent absenteeism, and ensure equal opportunities for all children. School administrators and unions have repeatedly staged protests demanding more staff.
Impact on academic performance
Staff shortages directly affect student outcomes. Research shows that the greater the social complexity of a school, the lower the average scores in core subjects. Both international and regional assessments confirm that, without additional resources, the gap between schools only widens.
Experts suggest introducing differentiated funding to ensure that schools with more complex student bodies receive more resources and can hire additional specialists. However, so far these measures remain under discussion, with no concrete decisions from authorities.
Plans and expectations
A new plan to combat early school dropout was recently introduced, but it does not provide for expanding the staff of social educators and integrators. Experts consider this a shortcoming and insist on the urgent need for changes. In their view, without increasing the number of specialists, it will be impossible to ensure equal opportunities for all students and reduce academic failure rates.
For now, schools are forced to operate under constant staff shortages, and children from vulnerable families risk being left without the necessary support. The issue of additional funding and expanding the team of specialists remains unresolved.
