Illa defends "swift" action in the scandal over teacher appointments
In just two weeks, Salvador Illa will complete one year as president of the Generalitat of Catalonia. And although the final scrutiny of the Catalan leader in the Parliament of this session had an element of reviewing the political course, the controversy generated by the halting of the process of awarding teaching positions for 2025/2026 and its related issues dominated the parliamentary debate.
One day after the appearance of the Minister of Education, Esther Niubó, in which she announced the dismissal of the Deputy Director General of Staff, Provision, and Payroll, Enric Trens, Illa has responded to calls from various groups to assume "more political responsibility" for the scandal that has affected 57,000 people, with the Republican Left being one of the most vocal in this regard. The president has asserted that neither he nor his government "shield" themselves from such responsibilities and has emphasized that they assume "all" of them.
In this regard, the Socialist leader defended the "swift" action and wanted to make it clear that the start of the school year "will not be affected" and is "guaranteed." Salvador Illa explained that, once it was seen that "the agreed instructions had not been followed," it was "corrected within three days, the source of the error was identified, and the person responsible for this process was relieved." At the same time, he noted that a case has been opened and that, depending on what is learned from it, they will assume more responsibility if it is discovered that the case goes "further."
Read alsoIt was precisely the partners who allowed him to be sworn in, Esquerra Republicana and Comuns, who have given him a warning over this case. Republican Josep Maria Jové lamented that the Catalan government "has difficulty accepting mistakes and making resolutions" and described the "absurdity" of this job allocation process as an "undignified spectacle."
Jové criticized the president for "publicly singling out a technical expert" and for "stigmatizing public service." Republicans find it hard to believe that a process of this magnitude "has only been carried out by one person," so they have urged the president to "assume full responsibility and stop hiding behind technical experts" to the point that "the dismissals must be carried out as far as they can go."
Read also The Ministry of Education halts the allocation of positions to teachers due to "unjustified incidents" in the procedure. Josep Fita
David Cid, from Comuns, has asked the Executive Branch to end the staffing decree and warned that, although positions have been awarded again, "there are still teachers who are complaining." Therefore, he hopes the school year will begin "when and as it should."
For its part, Junts has alluded to what happened in Education, adding it to a list of events that, in its opinion, demonstrate that in one year, "this government is not working, it's not functioning." The president of the post-Convergent group in the Catalan Parliament, Albert Batet, maintained that Illa's administration is a "misgovernment" due to the "collapse in infrastructure, the daily crisis in Rodalies, the lack of budgets, and the inability to approve several decrees." "It has no majority, no stability, and is totally dependent on the PSOE; take advantage of this summer to reflect," Batet told the president.
Vox also reviewed the first year of the PSC government, accusing it of being a "political scam" for leaving Catalonia "poorer, more insecure, and more unrecognizable." Regarding the Comuns (Communist Party), David Cid drew a parallel with the education system's performance and indicated that the Executive Branch "needs to improve" because it has "unfinished business in Rodalies, housing, renewable energy, and education."
In response to these remarks, the President of the Generalitat (Catalan Government), Salvador Illa, admitted that "much remains to be done," but expressed "reasonable satisfaction" with what has been achieved to date. Illa believes progress is being made on the priority of "shared prosperity," with growth rates above the European average. He highlighted projects such as the expansion of El Prat Airport, the start of the transfer of Rodalies, agreements to accelerate renewable energy, and the "ambitious plan" to promote 50,000 homes.
On the other hand, perhaps the most high-profile clash this time was with the president of the People's Party (PP) in Catalonia, Alejandro Fernández. The PP leader criticized the recognition of the Via Laietana police station as a place of democratic memory and accused the Socialists of "humiliating" the police for it. According to Fernández, this distinction "responds to a particularly immoral act of blackmail" and pointed out that it seeks to frame the National Police as a "symbol of Francoist repression." "Buildings don't torture, people do, and current police officers are not to blame for the atrocities committed 50 or 60 years ago," he added.
On this issue, the president pointed out that the PP's approach is "divisive" and that "they are not doing the security forces any favors by trying to make them a heritage site." Illa sees "no problem" with the police station being recognized as a space of democratic memory: "Before, the police tortured there; now they don't; it's democratic, and it's a credit to everyone."
lavanguardia
