The investment effort in the public sector is closely linked to the working conditions of the sector and, therefore, to the quality of the sector, as a pillar of a fair society and on an equal footing. If the investment is sufficient, the public school would have its place, we could talk about a reduction in ratios, a reduction in the interity rate, an improvement in retirement conditions…

In 2021, €821 million will be allocated to Education in Navarra. Compared to 2020, an additional 63 million euros, of which 26.7 million correspond to non-structural items for COVID-19 and 36.7 million correspond to the "normal" increase in the general Education budgets of Navarra. It is clear that these amounts will not, on many occasions, be the key to a fundamental change in public education.

This draft budget reflects the exceptional measures taken as a result of the state of health, reduce the ratio of the second cycle of Early Childhood Education to 20 and increase the number of hours in the centres. The uniqueness of these measures does not prevent the budgetary effort they entail from being taken on board, so we demand that this expenditure be set out in the draft budgets for 2022.

We are not dreaming, we know that the economic situation is not the best, but it is time, for a long time, to change the tax system of Navarre, without mortgaging the future to a single card of indebtedness and betting on a more dignified and progressive taxation. The political parties that govern us should act courageously to ensure that the wealth is distributed and that quality public services are guaranteed.

So we welcome this increase, we feel that it is not enough. It is not enough to implement the commitments made in the programme agreement between the Government of Navarra and the parties that support it. As the agreement states, allow "a progressive increase in public educational resources and scholarships that places Navarre on the average of the most advanced countries in our environment (5% of GDP)", a commitment also included in the recent Organic Law amending the LOE: Increase public spending on education, at least up to 5% of gross domestic product. The Education expenditure of this budget project is 3.9% of GDP, with an increase of 0.5% compared to the 2019 budget, two budget projects are missing to achieve the target set, far from the minimum 6% recommended by UNESCO. Nor is it sufficient to fully comply with the "Convention for the Improvement of Public Education of Navarra", nor to meet other objectives established by the government agreement, such as the revision of the pacts, their reduction in the non-obligatory stages or the denial of agreements to the centers that separate the student body on the basis of sex.

Instead of reviewing the concerts, this item has increased by almost EUR 10 million, through the conclusion of new units in the compulsory stages and in the non-compulsory pre- and post-compulsory stages, as demonstrated by the Official Bulletin of Navarre. Priority should be given to funding the public before it is agreed, to prioritise allocations to a high-quality public school in the budget, to guaranteeing the right to education and not to finance educational enterprises based on the fraudulent freedom of choice of centre.

The economic item of 0-3, despite the increase of EUR 800,000, cannot be considered a structural increase, as it is a COVID-19 item. It needs to be consolidated in the next budgets, together with the increase of the entire budget, only 11.3 million euros, to open the way to the publication of the cycle and to achieve dignity in the same working conditions that they have in the educational stage 3-6.

Finally, Steilas calls for budgets that favour the public, adequate budgets that, based on the consolidation of the extraordinary items, cover the fall of the ratios at all stages, that dignify the educational cycle 0-3, that enable full compliance with the Educational Pact and that eliminate the privileges of concerted learning.