Balearic Islands Overhauls 2025-2026 Curriculum, Restricts Digital Device Use

The government of the Balearic Islands, led by President Marga Prohens, is implementing substantial curricular revisions scheduled to commence with the 2025-2026 academic year. This overhaul emphasizes a return to foundational learning areas, aiming to concentrate on tangible educational outcomes by reducing perceived bureaucratic requirements. The reforms, which incorporated feedback from over one hundred educators and experts, integrate 32 specific recommendations derived from a national educational improvement report, reflecting a data-informed policy approach.

A core component of the new structure mandates an increase in instructional time allocated to Mathematics across all educational levels, a subject identified as essential for developing critical thinking and addressing performance gaps noted in international assessments like PISA. In Primary Education, early cycles will see reinforced hours for Mathematics, alongside an elevated focus on foreign language instruction and artistic education, while the third cycle will integrate environmental knowledge. For Secondary Education (ESO), the curriculum requires an augmentation of Mathematics and language instruction during the second and fourth years, supplemented by the introduction of new elective courses designed to enhance both linguistic and quantitative skills.

Baccalaureate students will see their weekly schedule expand from 31 to 33 hours, creating additional capacity for specialized modality subjects and elective study options. President Prohens stated that this strategic adjustment seeks to re-establish the value of diligent effort and the pursuit of excellence within the educational model, directly addressing societal demands for genuine learning advancement over administrative complexity. The modernization effort also includes enhancements to oral communication skills in early childhood education and the introduction of new Baccalaureate offerings, such as 'European Union' and 'Business Project.'

Cognitive and emotional well-being is being addressed through stringent limitations on digital device usage, particularly in the initial educational stages. Individual use of digital devices is prohibited in early years settings, with any permitted use restricted to specific, justified programs for a maximum of one hour per week. Beginning in the fourth year of Primary Education, individual student device usage is capped at one hour daily, though this limit may be extended under strictly controlled pedagogical objectives during the final two years of that stage.

In a related policy consolidation, the Balearic Islands will extend the ban on mobile phones to state-subsidised schools for the 2025-2026 academic year, establishing a mandatory baseline that covers the entire school day, including breaks and extracurricular activities. This move aligns with national trends regulating mobile device use to improve coexistence and focus. Concurrently, the reform aims to reduce administrative burdens on teaching staff and grant schools greater institutional autonomy to tailor educational programming to their student populations. The traditional Research Project component in the Baccalaureate level is also being transformed into a more dynamic elective titled the 'Research, Analysis, and Creativity Project.'