The parents’ associations of the schools in Manilva and Casares —AMPA Santa Ana of IES Las Viñas, AMPA Oleaje of CEIP San Luis de Sabinillas, AMPA El Poniente of CEIP Maicandil, AMPA El Cortinal of CEIP Pablo Picasso, AMPA of CEIP Blas Infante and the IES Las Viñas student group Cicerones— have submitted a joint letter to the Delegación Territorial de Educación of the Junta de Andalucía and to the Defensor del Menor (Children’s Ombudsman), in which they demand, “once again, the pressing need to build a new secondary school in the municipality of Manilva”.
Extreme overcrowding and loss of essential spaces
Families report that IES Las Viñas, designed for a maximum of 700 students, currently has 1,375 pupils and 107 teachers, of whom “approximately 70% are interim or itinerant staff”. This situation has forced the school to operate with four prefabricated classrooms for almost 20 years, in addition to other split-group classrooms and workshops added on a temporary basis.
The overcrowding has led to the conversion of key spaces:
- The cafeteria is used as a Year 11 (4.º de ESO) classroom.
- The chemistry laboratory is used as an ordinary classroom.
- The staff room and the library have been converted into specific classrooms.
According to the letter, this reorganisation causes “a significant deterioration in teaching conditions, safety and wellbeing for both pupils and teachers”.
Deteriorating facilities and lack of staff*
The parents’ associations recall that in January they released images of “flooded floors, leaks, broken pergolas… an untenable situation”, which has even led some families to choose not to send their children to school on rainy days.
Added to this is the shortage of caretaking staff, which is insufficient for a school of this size.
Broken commitments and lack of response
The associations recall that the Education Delegate, Mr Briones, “publicly committed to the creation of a new secondary school” three years ago, after requesting that the Town Hall hand over land, a procedure the council completed. However, they state that “since then absolutely no progress has been made”.
Since October 2025, the families have been requesting a meeting with the Delegate without receiving a reply: “he has not deigned to give us an appointment, to see us, or to return our calls”, despite having announced protests and having the support of the town halls of Manilva and Casares.
A violation of the right to education
The parents’ associations stress that the current situation violates the right to a decent, safe and high-quality education, enshrined in Article 27 of the Spanish Constitution. They also warn that the decline in quality is leading more families each year to choose private or state-subsidised schools in nearby municipalities.
They demand an immediate response
The families call on the Junta to address this demand “as a matter of urgency”, recalling that this is not an isolated request, but a need arising from population growth and from the obligation to guarantee adequate educational conditions.
“We trust that this claim will be addressed with the seriousness and sensitivity it deserves”, they conclude in the letter.
