Political Clash in Benidorm Over the Official School of Languages

The future of the Official School of Languages (EOI) in Benidorm has returned to the political spotlight following a visit on Monday by the regional deputy and socialist spokesperson for Education in Les Corts, José Luis Lorenz. Accompanied by the PSPV-PSOE spokesperson in Benidorm, Cristina Escoda, and other socialist officials from local and regional levels, the Valencian leader toured the centre's facilities and met with its director to understand firsthand the needs of a school that, after more than two decades of activity, continues to operate "in a borrowed building."

Lorenz took the opportunity to denounce the cuts in the Official Schools of Languages promoted by the Conselleria d'Educació, while accusing Carlos Mazón's government of progressively deteriorating the quality of public education. "Last year, groups were eliminated throughout the Comunitat, and this year the cuts are disguised by increasing teachers' teaching hours," criticised the deputy, describing these decisions as "attacks on public education."

Meanwhile, Cristina Escoda lashed out at the local PP government, accusing it of neglecting the facilities of the current Carmen García Santos Municipal Study Centre, where the EOI is located.

"We have been two years with broken air conditioning, lighting problems, insufficient offices, and deteriorated classrooms," stated Escoda, pointing out that the maintenance of the building is a municipal responsibility. "The least the government of Toni Pérez should do while we await a new EOI is to maintain the current building in decent conditions," she stressed.

The statements of the socialist leaders quickly received a response from the Benidorm City Council's Councillor for Education, Maite Moreno, who defended the PP government's management and recalled that "it was precisely Toni Pérez's government that reactivated the project for a new EOI in 2022, with the allocation of a plot in Salt de l'Aigua for its construction and its inclusion in the Pla Edificant proposals."

Moreno lamented that "the Botànic government, of which the PSPV was a part, then refused to include this infrastructure in the regional plan." She also accused Escoda of "raising her voice now for political opportunism, when during the eight years of progressive governments in the Generalitat, she did nothing for the EOI in Benidorm."

The councillor also rejected the accusations about the poor state of the centre, assuring that "it has never been neglected." As an example, she cited the installation of fans in all classrooms, the placement of a split-type air conditioning unit in the teachers' room, and the constant maintenance of the building within municipal possibilities.

The debate has also brought to light the multiple ups and downs of the project to build a new EOI headquarters. Escoda recalled that back in 2011, under socialist mandate, the City Council allocated a 4,500 square metre plot next to IES L'Almadrava, but the Generalitat never executed the work. Ten years later, in 2021, Mayor Toni Pérez attempted to revive the initiative by including the project in the Pla Edificant, albeit unsuccessfully.

Since then, the project has returned to limbo. "During the election campaign, Toni Pérez demanded a new EOI from the Consell, but since his party has been in power in Valencia, silence and amnesia reign," criticised Escoda, who insisted on the need to provide the centre with new facilities that include modern classrooms, an auditorium, and a media library.