On Monday, 172,970 students, in addition to those at private schools, started the new school year. The total at the government-run and grant-maintained schools is down 512 compared with last September. This decrease is mainly attributed to a fall in the birth rate. In Mallorca, there are 138,082 students. Primary schools have more pupils than others - 65,967 in the whole of the Balearics.
The return to school is also a return to normality. For the past two Septembers, Covid measures were in place. These ranged from mandatory mask-wearing to remote learning and the use of additional public facilities in order to provide social distancing for smaller classes.
Since 2015, the number of teachers on the islands has increased by 3,462. Over the coming years, the education ministry plans to increase the number by a further 2,500.