At the start of the school year, Spain’s Education Minister Milagros Tolón pledged on 8 September in Ceuta to enrol unaccompanied minors remaining in the city in the education system. She stressed that the Ministry of Education would uphold international obligations and Spanish law while ensuring the orderly running of classes. The aim was to guarantee children’s right to education without disrupting the normal school day.
The Delegación del Gobierno in Ceuta and La Moncloa reported a total attendance of around 70 per cent on Tuesday, the first day of school. According to these figures, attendance in primary education was about 65 per cent, while in secondary schools it was around 83 per cent. The figures were reported on 7 and 8 September by the central government .
According to the government, before the start of the school year, buildings that had temporarily served as emergency shelters during the summer migration movements were cleared and cleaned. Tolón also referred to a psychosocial support programme for pupils under strain. A coordination mechanism between education authorities, security forces and social services is also being set up to organise safe routes to school and adjusted care hours.
On Tuesday, school heads and local education offices reported differing starting conditions. Some schools opened as usual, while others reported shortages of rooms and staff, as well as a greater need for information among families and teachers. The provincial office of the central government said consultations were under way to distribute resources according to need and enable short-term transitional arrangements at affected facilities.
According to the government, Tolón’s assurance addresses two related tasks: access to education for unaccompanied minors and the maintenance of reliable structures for all pupils in Ceuta. The minister called for calm and announced that the measures would be adjusted in the coming weeks if the school day required it.
Observers in Ceuta consider the announced coordination and the cleaning of the buildings previously used as necessary prerequisites for the regular start of lessons. Whether the measures can accommodate the expected influx of school-age unaccompanied minors without major disruption will become clear as enrolment progresses. Implementation on the ground is seen as a test of how effectively the Ministry of Education, the Delegación del Gobierno and schools work together in the new circumstances.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).