The Síndica de Greuges, Catalonia’s ombudsman, has called for an urgent €944 million injection to tackle chronic underfunding in the region’s education system, warning that current spending does not guarantee genuinely free schooling. The 266-page report says public investment rose by 35% since 2019, yet the gap between the cost of education and public funding has not narrowed. Inflation and rising demand for additional support have put more pressure on school budgets and household finances.
The analysis says the proportion of pupils described as vulnerable has risen from 6% to 30% in recent years. Families in public schools pay around €1,000 per pupil annually for costs not covered by public funding, while families in concerted schools, privately operated schools that receive public subsidies, face average annual costs of about €3,900. The figures show how schooling costs can still fall on households even when education is publicly funded.
The report calls for tighter oversight of fees and related charges at concerted schools. Some charge nearly €10 a day for lunch, compared with about €7 in public schools. Oversight, it argues, should distinguish genuinely optional services from payments families may effectively need to make to take part in ordinary school life. The issue sits alongside the principle that publicly funded education should be free, while ancillary services may be charged separately under applicable rules.
Resource allocation is another concern. The report says measures such as class-size reductions are applied too uniformly instead of being tailored to each school’s educational and socioeconomic needs. It also points to a disparity in school-complexity classifications: 28% of public schools are categorized as highly complex, compared with 6% of concerted schools. Because those classifications guide the allocation of support and resources, the Síndic argues for a needs-based approach that better reflects each school’s circumstances.
The estimated annual cost per pupil-place is €6,233 in public basic schools and €8,118 in public secondary schools. In concerted schools, the corresponding estimates are €5,462 and €6,067. The report attributes the higher public-school costs mainly to teacher employment conditions, including shorter teaching hours, rather than to a fundamentally different educational model. Since 2020, estimated costs have risen by as much as 26% in public schools and 21% in concerted schools, driven by improved teacher contracts and smaller classes, along with more pupils requiring additional support.
To ease the burden on families, the Síndic recommends increasing the so-called “economic backpacks,” direct financial support per pupil, from €385 to €457 in public schools and from €988 to €1,175 in concerted schools. The Catalan government has raised the amount for concerted schools to €1,182 but has not increased support for public-school pupils. The Síndic also proposes extending public-school support to extracurricular activities, which could bring the amount to nearly €800 per pupil.
Changes in government, the slow formation of the required commission and internal issues at the Síndic’s office delayed the process of updating the cost estimates. The government announced increased support for concerted schools in March, before the report was finalized. The Síndic has not commented on the timing or the government’s decision.
The proposed €944 million increase would require decisions by the Generalitat de Catalunya, including its education and budget authorities. The Síndic makes recommendations but does not appropriate public funds. The proposal is part of a broader call to better target staffing and class-size measures to school needs, reassess complexity classifications and strengthen scrutiny of charges. Catalonia’s system includes public schools, alongside privately operated schools, some of which are concerted and receive public funding while charging families for certain services and activities. The report argues that adequate public financing and a fairer allocation of resources are necessary to reduce the costs shifted to families and address differences between schools.
