Teachers and families filled the streets of Valencia demanding urgent improvements to public education. The protest targeted the regional education chief and reignited the threat of renewed strikes. Negotiations remain stalled as pressure mounts.
Thousands of teachers and supporters marched through central Valencia, demanding the resignation of Carme Ortí, the regional education chief, and warning that strikes could return if talks do not resume. The demonstration, one of the largest since last term’s five-week strike, showed that the dispute over public education in the Comunitat Valenciana is still unresolved.
The main unions—STEPV, CC OO, UGT, and CGT—organized the protest under the Platforma per l’Ensenyament Públic. Marches also took place in Alicante and Castellón, sending a clear message: teachers are ready to escalate their campaign for what they describe as a "dignified and quality" public education system. Union leaders said a renewed strike is still possible, depending on the government’s response. According to EFE and other regional sources, the protest on September 12, 2026, was coordinated across all three provincial capitals, with participants stating that their efforts would continue if demands were not met.
At the start of the 2026–2027 school year, the Valencian education system encompassed around 84,000 teachers and over 808,000 students, highlighting the scale of the ongoing dispute.
The main demands are smaller class sizes, better pay, and more staff. Teachers say the regional government has not delivered real improvements, even after last term’s indefinite strike was suspended. "We are tired, but we cannot stop fighting for our rights and for public education," said one secondary school teacher. Many wore green shirts and vests reading "Docent treballant en precari." As reported by Infobae and Levante-EMV, banners at the front of the Valencia march specifically called for Carme Ortí’s resignation, and the demonstration began at Plaza de San Agustín around 18:00, following a route through the city center.
The crowd included educators, families, civic groups, and political representatives. Chants against cuts in health and education, and for quality education in Valencian, echoed along the route. The unions insist that any new agreement must be approved by teachers themselves, not imposed from above. Reports from Ara and Cadena SER note that the unions—STEPV, CCOO, and UGT—have repeatedly said that partial measures, like reducing bureaucracy, are not enough. They want real progress on class sizes, pay, and staffing before any deal is reached.
Union leaders criticized the government’s lack of progress since the strike ended. Marc Candela of STEPV said only bureaucratic reductions had been addressed, while core issues like staffing and pay remain unresolved. Xelo Valls of CCOO called the protest a starting point for further action, and UGT’s Kilian Cuerda accused the Generalitat of wasting the summer break instead of reaching an agreement.
A partial agreement on reducing bureaucracy was supported by only 87% of teachers, according to EFE, leaving key union demands unresolved and the threat of renewed strikes looming as the new school year began.
The standoff in Valencia is part of a wider pattern. Across Spain, public education is under strain, as seen in the recent funding crisis in Andalusian universities. Regional governments are struggling to meet educators’ demands, while teachers and families grow more vocal about worsening conditions.
What sets Valencia apart is the unions’ readiness to strike again if talks stall. The government’s next move will decide whether classrooms stay open or face new disruptions. For now, teachers are not backing down, and pressure on Carme Ortí and her administration is growing. The dispute is not just local; it signals broader unrest in Spain’s education system. If officials continue to ignore the main demands of teachers, they risk further disruption and a loss of public trust in regional leadership.
