Nearly 3,000 students in Valencia start another year in makeshift classrooms. Unions and parents demand urgent action as negotiations with authorities stall. The education crisis deepens amid climate risks and political disputes.
In Valencia’s so-called “zona cero,” the new school year has started with nearly 3,000 children still attending classes in prefabricated barracones. Two years after floods destroyed schools in Massanassa, Alfafar, Paiporta, and Catarroja, permanent buildings have yet to be built. For now, these makeshift classrooms—described by local emergency committees as unsafe and unsuitable—are the only option for many families.
The situation has renewed conflict between the Plataforma per l’Ensenyament Públic (which includes Fampa-València, Escola Valenciana, and the unions STEPV, CC OO, and UGT) and the regional education authorities. The coalition says last year’s talks with the Consejería de Educación, led by Carmen Ortí, led to little real progress. Union leaders argue that the reported increase in teaching staff is misleading, class sizes are still too large, and teacher pay has barely changed. According to Levante-EMV and El Independiente, this is now the second year in a row that students in the hardest-hit towns are still waiting for permanent schools to be rebuilt.
Approximately 1,500 students at IES Berenguer Dalmau in Catarroja, 300 at CEIP Orba in Alfafar, over 500 at CEI Ausiàs March and CEIP Lluís Vives in Massanassa, and around 400 at CEIP l’Horta in Paiporta continue to study in temporary modules.
Marc Candela of STEPV, the largest public education union, says the current measures fall short and the campaign for better conditions will continue. Óscar Ortiz of CC OO calls the government’s approach patchwork, while Kilian Cuerda of UGT questions why the regional minister blames Madrid for poor Pisa results when her own department has not delivered solutions. The unions have called for protests in all three provincial capitals, demanding real investment in public education. As reported by Telecinco and Las Provincias, STEPV, CCOO, UGT, and Plataforma per l’Ensenyament Públic have announced mass protests for September 12 in Valencia, Castellón, and Alicante, citing a lack of meaningful improvements in the public school system.
Parents’ associations are also raising concerns about new regulations. Elisabet Garcia, president of Fampa València, warns that articles 155 and 156 in the Valencian education code could allow for ideological control and intimidation of teachers. She says vague language about “ideological neutrality” and “indoctrination” creates legal uncertainty and could chill free expression in schools. According to La Vanguardia, these articles have alarmed parents and associations, who see them as a threat to teaching freedom.
On the political side, Generalitat president Juanfran Pérez Llorca has urged unions to show “willingness” to reach agreements, defending his administration’s four-year plan as a first step. But for families in the flood-affected towns, these promises feel empty as another year begins in temporary structures with poor climate control and limited space.
The Generalitat has reported the completion of emergency repair works totaling 21.6 million euros in more than 60 schools after the DANA floods, including centers in Paiporta, Catarroja, Alfafar, and Massanassa. However, despite these investments, temporary classrooms remain in use and permanent reconstruction has not started in the hardest-hit areas.
El Independiente
The Local Emergency and Reconstruction Committees (CLER) have also warned about the lack of progress on disaster preparedness. They note that, despite warnings from scientists about rising climate risks, the Generalitat has not set up river flood prediction systems, and many towns have not published emergency plans or provided training. With more extreme weather expected, the region remains exposed.
These problems are not new. As reported earlier, the start of the school year in Valencia has repeatedly been marked by disputes over staffing, class sizes, and working conditions. Incremental reforms and political finger-pointing have left thousands of students and teachers in limbo, while the main issues remain unresolved.
Valencia’s education crisis now tests both political will and administrative competence. The continued use of barracones, lack of climate adaptation, and the risk of ideological controls in schools point to a system struggling to meet its basic responsibilities. Until authorities move beyond talk and temporary fixes, students will keep paying the price for bureaucratic delays and political disputes.
