Barcelona Mum

Historic investment of 411 million euros for improvement works and new schools in Barcelona (Adjuntament de Barcelona)
The agreement signed between Barcelona City Council and the Generalitat establishes that 15 new schools will be built and improvement works will be carried out at 325 over the next four years.There has never been such a high budget for new schools and improvement works in the education network in Barcelona. The Mayor of Barcelona, Jordi Hereu, and the Catalan Minister for Education, Ernest Maragall, signed the agreement which involves a joint investment of 411 million euros, for the period 2008 to 2011. As an indication of the size of this investment, it is seven times that spent on schools in the period 1999 to 2003. Of the 411 million euros in the new schools plan, 67 million will be invested in building 15 new schools, 17 other centres (such as the new head offices for educational services in the ten districts), adult training centres and music schools. New schools will be built in all the city districts, but the most significant will be in the Eixample, Ciutat Vella, Sant Martí, Sant Andreu and Gràcia. In the Eixample, two new secondary schools will be built (Angeleta Ferrer and Viladomat), the Cartagena primary school, a music school, and the head office for educational services. In Ciutat Vella, two primary schools will be built (Baixeres and Mediterrània), Escola Massana, adult training centres and the head office for educational services. Two primary schools will also be built in Sant Martí (Sant Martí and Fluvià), the Pere IV secondary school, a music school and the head office for educational services. Finally, in both Gràcia and Sant Andreu, there will be a new secondary and primary school, as well as other education centres.

The major part of the budget will be to finance works for renovation, extension and improvement (RAM) of 325 schools. The budget for the next four years is 344 million euros. The main part, 50%, is for disabled access and extension, as well as improving patios, play areas, gardens, sports circuits gyms and changing rooms. Around 36% will go towards improving the outside of the buildings, including the walls, woodwork and gates. The remaining 14% is for renovating installations such as the electricity supply and heating.

Today there are 371 public education centres in the city of Barcelona, and the plan for 2008-2011 will affect the great majority. The agreement states that the Generalitat will take on 60% of the financing, 261 million euros, with the remaining 40%, around 150 million euros, coming from Barcelona City Council coffers.

The Mayor and the Minister of Education expressed their satisfaction at the agreement. According to Ernest Maragall, this plan means that the city schools will be modernised and brought up to date. He thanked the effort made by the City Council to do more than they were obliged to. The Mayor commented that, even though the agreement was short, "just two pages", it was "complete", as to date there had never been such high levels of financing for improving the school system in the city. "It is an agreement which invests in human capital", he commented, "which is the best investment possible." Jordi Hereu thanked the Generalitat for their collaboration, adding that Barcelona no longer had to face the cost of these improvements alone, as had happened in the past. The agreement strengthens the social policies which the council and the Generalitat follow, prioritising education as a tool for driving progress and guaranteeing cohesion. (24.01.08)