Manilva Town Hall has again reported new steps towards the municipality having an Official Language School (EOI), almost a year after this possibility was first announced.
In April 2025, the Education councillor, Laura Salazar, met the director of the Official Language School in Estepona, Juan Ortiz, describing the meeting as «very productive» and noting that the only requirement was to find a suitable space for setting up the school in the town. At that time there was already talk of a «real possibility» that Manilva could become home to this educational service.
A year on, the announcement is repeated
Now, the mayor, Mario Jiménez, and the Education councillor have held a new meeting with the same director to «continue making progress» on this possibility.
The main new development reported on this occasion is that the Town Hall will submit a formal request, stating that it has public space with the necessary characteristics to house the EOI.
Once again, we are faced with another announcement that gives no timeframes and does not explain what stage the administrative procedure has reached with the Junta de Andalucía, the body responsible for authorising this type of school. Nor does it specify whether this involves creating an independent school or a classroom attached to the Estepona EOI.
Local language academies object
The announcement has not been free of controversy. According to information obtained by this newspaper, the initiative is again meeting with outright opposition from private academies in the municipality, which have spent years teaching students of all ages in the area.
These schools consider that setting up a public EOI could directly affect their financial viability, especially in a municipality of limited size, where demand for language teaching is not unlimited. They also point out that for years they have sustained local language education with very little institutional support, adapting to students’ needs and offering preparation for official qualifications.
