Cádiz public schools face staffing shortages and enrollment declines

The start of the school year in the province of Cádiz is facing significant challenges, according to reports from political group Adelante Andalucía and local education officials. Adelante Andalucía has denounced a “disaster” regarding the start of the term, citing severe staffing shortages, unfilled medical leaves, and a lack of kitchen personnel in public centers. The group specifically highlighted the Virgen de la Paz and La Inmaculada infant schools, noting that despite classroom expansions, the Junta de Andalucía has failed to provide necessary technical staff, sometimes leaving a single worker to manage groups of over twenty students.

Separately, the province is grappling with declining enrollment rates. In Cádiz city, the CEIP Gadir public school currently has only 13 students enrolled from ages 3 to 12. The territorial delegate for Education, José Ángel Aparicio, addressed the situation, stating, “I do not want to close any educational center.” He noted that while the capital has lost over 1,400 students in the last four years, the administration intends to use lower student-to-teacher ratios as an opportunity to improve teaching quality rather than closing facilities.