One in four euros from the Valencian Community’s public purse will be channeled to Education, Universities and Employment. Minister José Antonio Rovira will oversee a budget of 6,871.3 million euros, making it the second largest allocation after Health. In education, the largest share goes to Primary School with 2,556 million euros for the entire Valencian Community, followed by Secondary School with 2,408 million euros. This marks an increase of almost 200 million compared with prior year.
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Compared with the main expense item, vocational training remains in high demand but faces notable disruption. In housing accommodations, the Budget project presented this Monday allocates half of the previous amount, 55 million euros versus 109 million euros in 2023. Educational infrastructures are also experiencing a setback, with grants dropping from 409 million euros to 298 million euros under the current administration.
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For example, real infrastructure originally planned 92 million euros for 2024 in multi-year projects across the community will reach 200 million by 2027. In the Alicante province, about 38 million euros are slated for next year, compared with the Botànic forecast of 89 million euros in its final phase (2023). The state allocates half of its investment to educational centers throughout the community.
New centers in the province
Among nominal projects, the largest allocation for next year is 12.6 million euros for the construction of the Early Childhood and Primary School CEIP Santa Pola Nou Gran Alacant II, and 11.4 million for IES Azorín de Petrer in the case of Secondary.
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Also budgeted is 5.2 million euros for CEIP Inmaculada Concepción in Torrevieja, 2.4 million for the Amanecer school in Torrevieja, and one million euros each for La Paz in Torrellano and for the José Tomás Guitar Conservatory in Alicante. Reforms allocate 500,000 euros for each of the following centers: UN IES Jaume I, San Blas, Las Lomas, Cabo Huertas and Virgen del Remedio in Alicante; Pere María Orts with 267,000 euros in Benidorm, and CEIP La Almadrava in Alicante with 105,000.
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When presenting the figures, the new Consell highlighted that the money allocated to education concerts rose by 4.9% to 715 million, up from 681 million in the previous government. The emphasis on harmonious education aims to reach almost 800 million with scholarships and aid.
Faculty
Additionally, resources for teacher training are increasing by 11%, and funds for participation in education are up 10%. Finance Minister Ruth Merino reaffirmed the commitment to multilingual classrooms and the preservation of Valencia’s linguistic and cultural identity. The item for the Promotion of the Valencian Language and Multilingualism remains at 19 million euros.
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In terms of expenses, the primary focus will be on staff. The workforce now stands at 81,000, up from 78,000 last year. Investments will be directed toward salaries, with more than 3.6 billion euros allocated to primary and secondary school teachers, an increase of about 10%.
Botànic kept Education and Universities as separate entities, but they have been regrouped. The Consell of Mazón has 1,035 million euros available for universities, a figure that reflects ongoing efforts to resolve campus development, classroom expansion, and new faculties as rectors push for a multi-year funding plan.
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On the research front, progress has stalled as the previous administration’s offer of 127 million euros rose to the current offer of 104 million euros. Scholarships and aid for university studies are shown as 31.5 million euros, with 750,000 euros for Erasmus cooperation.
Sixty-six million euros less for employment
Third competition under Rovira’s leadership merges Work with Education and Universities after the new autonomous government took power. It faces cuts because 200 million euros were allocated in the 2024 Budget, compared with 266 million euros in 2023. Labora, the agency that manages the Valencian Employment Service, is projected to spend 446.1 million euros in 2024, down from 552.9 in 2023. This represents a 106 million euro decrease and a 19% drop. After taking office, the Alicante councilor argued that the employment field should be linked to the education field to foster a better connection to the labor market and to improve opportunities for students.