Teachers and students at the Vila de Gràcia Institute in Barcelona have launched a protest against the Education Consortium’s decision to eliminate the school’s performing arts baccalaureate. The administration argues the course is a vital public service for the artistic neighbourhood of Gràcia. However, authorities claim there is an oversupply of such courses across the city.
Performing arts baccalaureate: A community in protest
The institute has offered the performing arts baccalaureate for seven years. Typically, it enrols between 15 and 20 students annually. However, the school was recently informed that it cannot offer the course to first-year students for the upcoming academic year. Consequently, the second-year programme will remain solely to allow current students to complete their studies.
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In response, staff and students organised a demonstration at the school gates at midday today. Students enrolled in the performing arts track appeared dressed in black with their mouths taped shut. This action symbolised the silencing of artistic education. Meanwhile, banners were hung, and former students shared their experiences of the course.
Elisenda Jorro, the institute’s director, read a manifesto defending the programme. ‘We are providing a public service in a neighbourhood that is scenic by nature; the performing arts are breathed in the street,’ she stated. Her comments highlight the neighbourhood’s cultural identity. In addition, the historic Verdi Cinemas in Gràcia is expanding to add more screens.
Performing arts baccalaureate: Quality versus quantity
According to Jorro, the course began as a secondary school project on performing arts. It grew organically into a full baccalaureate offering. Currently, secondary students take it as a compulsory subject in early years and as an option in their final two years. Therefore, the curriculum focuses on emotional and physical expression through voice and body work.
The director strongly criticised the rationale behind the closure. ‘The Consortium tells us that there is an excess supply of artistic education in the city, so centres with half a group are expensive to maintain,’ Jorro explained. This conflict mirrors other recent disputes in the public sector. For example, the Catalan Health Department signed a new medical statute without union backing.
‘We are a small centre and we can work with a low ratio offering quality teaching. Closing small groups means betting on quantity, not quality.’Elisenda Jorro, Director of Vila de Gràcia Institute
The Consortium’s rationale for performing arts baccalaureate cuts
The Education Consortium maintains that the decision is based on a technical analysis of supply and demand within Barcelona. Officials point to current data showing 69 vacant places in the first year of the performing arts baccalaureate across the city.
Based on these figures, the administration is adjusting its planning to reflect the ‘excess supply’. The Vila de Gràcia Institute is not the only centre affected. Similarly, the Pedralbes Institute is also facing cuts to its programme. This potential disruption for students echoes other recent challenges in the city. For instance, the University of Barcelona suspended exams due to Rodalies rail chaos.
Therefore, the school’s administration is scheduled to meet with the Education Consortium next Monday. They aim to reverse the decision.
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