Overview

• The government will present a draft law that obliges all regions to adopt the new maximum classroom hours, replacing the current regional discretion.
• The move follows strike threats from major unions, and the Education Ministry will resume negotiations with unions and then regional governments to agree on implementation and a teaching statute.
• The cap applies only to time spent teaching in the classroom; unions cite current averages of about 25 hours in Primary and 19 in Secondary, while total weekly work remains roughly 35 to 37.5 hours.
• Sánchez pledged to keep pushing for smaller student-to-teacher ratios but offered no figures or timeline for class-size reductions.
• A separate program of more than €175 million starting in 2026 will cover the full cost of 0–3 schooling for families under the poverty threshold, funded over two budget cycles.