Costa Blanca

Two thirds of young Spaniards don’t understand English despite studying it for 13 years

According to the INE, seven out of ten young individuals claim that they are unable to comprehend any English, despite having studied it from the ages of three to sixteen. Many young individuals graduate from high school with a subpar understanding of Shakespeare’s language, although they have been instructed for over a decade.

Gregorio Luri, a philosopher and educator who specialises in the subject, asserts that the notion that enrolling a child in an academy is necessary for them to learn English has become ingrained. Therefore, what is the purpose of English instruction in public schools? Most importantly, how can we improve it?

Initially, the educators concur that there is an issue with language acquisition in public institutions that is already having an impact. “We are witnessing a substantial rise in the number of “English Schools” that exclusively instruct in the English language. Luri elucidates that new ones are perpetually generated.

Conversely, the actuality is that families are increasing their expenditures on private schools, which are referred to as “shadow education,” in order to complete their children’s education. This is as per a report by Esade. The educator asserts that this procedure strikes at the foundation of public institutions.

Separate students by level, rather than by course

The interviewed instructors presented a variety of proposals, each requiring a significant modification to the current model. Ana Hernández, a secondary school English teacher in Valencia, has identified three factors that contribute to the low level of English proficiency in public institutions.

The first is the elevated class ratios. “We endeavour to instruct the entire class in English to facilitate communication among students; however, the number of students is not equivalent.” “Academies have even fewer students, which makes it much easier for each student to engage in practical training and speak for an extended period,” he explains.

The disparities in the student body are the second factor. “Academies organise classes according to their respective levels, which range from A1 to C2.” Students are not categorised according to their age; rather, they are categorised according to their proficiency in English. He asserts that courses are significantly more productive when there are eight students who possess comparable English proficiency levels, and they are capable of engaging in conversation with one another.

Secondary institutions face the opposite scenario. “It is exceedingly challenging to accommodate all 30 students, as their proficiency levels are vastly different.” Hernández clarifies: “In my view, secondary schools should also categorise students by level rather than age.” However, I am aware that this is a complex issue.”

This teacher posits that the third factor contributing to the low level of English proficiency is the escalating prevalence of behavioural issues in classrooms, which is closely associated with the high class sizes of up to 30 students.

The penalty for failing the PISA exam

Not only the INE, but also the PISA report, evidences the inadequate language skills of Valencian students. It broadly asserts that students are unable to engage in a fundamental conversation with another individual in English because this report emphasises life skills over theory.

It is evident that this does not affect all pupils in the same way. Those with the financial means enrol in an academy, while those without it end their education with a lack of proficiency. Luri asserts that bilingualism is no longer a luxury; it is now essential, and this unquestionably results in a social gap. Private alternatives are expanding as a result of the needs that public schools are unable to fulfil: language academies and English schools.

Social class and books in the household
The PISA report establishes a direct correlation between the quantity of books in each student’s home and their cultural, and particularly linguistic proficiency. Luri elaborates, “Consider the occasion when we discuss English.” “We are even observing it in university entrance exams, where young individuals experience difficulty when presented with an English text.”

In order to accomplish this, Luri posits that it is imperative to comprehend that “every teacher is a language teacher.” From the third or fourth grade of primary school, pupils’ educational trajectories diverge, according to the educator. The levels are remarkably similar until that year, at which point they begin to diverge. The cause is the quantity of words and the diversity of sounds that each child encounters. “The environment is indispensable.” An infant who is exposed to 2,600 words per hour is not equivalent to one who is exposed to 600. Over the course of four years, the estimated difference between an impoverished and a rich linguistic environment is 40 million words. This underscores the need for all educators to possess extensive and proficient communication skills. Luri elaborates, “And I am of the opinion that this matter is not taken seriously enough.” Consequently, the language proficiency of pupils in English schools is exceedingly high, he maintains.

Assisting those who are experiencing difficulty

Academies are also capable of assisting students who are experiencing academic stagnation or low achievement levels, a capability that public schools lack. “We have returned to the same point, and this is applicable to any topic.” Families are forced to pay for remedial classes at an academy because the school doesn’t help their child enough.”

Lack of vocabulary is another area that needs to be improved in general, since according to Luri, “for a text to be comprehensible, there must be at most 8% of words that you don’t understand. If it exceeds that 8%, the text becomes incomprehensible because you can’t deduce from the context, and our students are far from that level.”

The causes of this problem are even social and cultural. “One curious thing is that when you travel to Latin America, cartoons and movies in English aren’t translated, which makes their familiarity with the language much higher and their vocabulary much larger,” explains the educator.

Other problems the educator has identified include the lack of foreign language instruction hours both in schools and in the pedagogy faculties where future teachers are trained. “There aren’t enough English class hours per week, the teaching methods aren’t the best, and unfortunately, we don’t have well-trained teachers,” Luri explains. “Obviously, no one goes to work expecting to do poorly—quite the opposite—but they need to receive training.”

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Costa Blanca

Orihuela will distribute 750 new bins throughout the municipality starting next month

The Orihuela City Council’s Department of Urban Solid Waste will begin distributing 758 new containers throughout the municipality in June, with the goal of increasing containerisation and encouraging selective garbage collection. This project has been awarded a total of €690,000 (including VAT).

Rocio Ortuño, Councillor for Urban Solid Waste, stated that the renovation aligns with state legislation and the Local Waste Plan, and is a significant step towards a more efficient, clean, and recycling-friendly model.

The new containers are available in both side and top loading configurations. Specifically, the delivery comprises:

Rotourban model (side loading)

-80 units for containers (yellow fixed lid)

-140 units for paper-cardboard (blue fixed lid)

-326 units for the remaining fraction (contactless lid, grey)

Rotoglobe Model (Top Loading)

-80 units for packaging

-132 units for paper-cardboard

All containers will be customised with vinyl specifying the proportion in Spanish and a heat-printed City Hall symbol. With this project, the municipality will install 432 additional recycling containers (containers, paper, and cardboard) and 326 for other fractions, thereby improving selective collection at the source and environmental compliance.

Ortuño observed that “the new 2022 Waste Law, approved by the government, has not only forced local councils to modify and increase their waste tax, but also imposes a new tax of 30 euros per tonne of waste, which in the case of Orihuela represents an annual cost of nearly one million euros.”

The councillor stated that another batch of rear-loading containers will be awarded in the coming days at a tender value of €110,000. This batch includes 877 units, which will begin arriving in late June or early July, concluding the municipality’s container fleet renewal operation.

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Costa Blanca

Power outages uncovered a ‘jungle’ of 800 marijuana plants in Orihuela

The National Police in Orihuela, Alicante, have dismantled an indoor marijuana plantation with 784 plants that was installed inside a warehouse on the town’s outskirts, and have arrested four men as alleged perpetrators of drug trafficking, document forgery, membership in a criminal group, and electricity fraud, as the illegal plantation was supplied with electricity via an illegal connection.

The inquiry began after diverse information was obtained concerning the likely existence of a facility on a property on the outskirts of the municipality of Orihuela that may be used for illegal activities, similar to indoor marijuana cultivation.

As a result of discreet surveillance of the surrounding area and other investigations, officers from the Orihuela Police Station’s Judicial Police Brigade noticed four individuals entering and exiting the warehouse. Investigators identified this conduct as common practice among the proprietors of this type of plantation.

Among these common acts, the agents saw how those involved performed counter-surveillance functions, looking in all directions to notify that no one was watching them as they entered and exited the warehouse.

Following confirmation of their suspicions, the exploitation phase of the operation began with the interception of a car driven by one of the suspects. The trunk included two green plastic bags with marijuana residue, as well as other plant-growing supplies like fertiliser.

The property under investigation was then entered and searched, resulting in the arrest of a second culprit, while the other two were held at their respective homes.

Following the arrests of people under investigation, a search of the warehouse was conducted, which was partitioned into two rooms and used for different purposes depending on the flowering stage of up to 784 cannabis sativa (marijuana) plants discovered within. Their development and culture were aided by a complete and modern lighting and ventilation system, and their electricity supply was later discovered to be obtained through an illegal connection to the power grid.

On the other hand, those arrested did not scrimp on passive technical methods of monitoring the farm, since there were cameras along the perimeter, forming a closed-circuit video surveillance system with motion sensors. This circuit covered all access angles to the plot, indicating a certain level of sophistication, resulting in increased security in the guarding and custody of the merchandise, as is typical of facilities designed by experienced individuals, with the goal of providing remote security coverage to the plantation located within.

Frequent power outages in the neighbourhood

As a result, the electricity consumption generated by this set of facilities was so high that local residents’ demonstrations revealed that they had experienced power outages on several occasions for no apparent reason, possibly due to consumption peaks caused by the illegal connection typical of this type of plantation.

Finally, another piece of evidence demonstrating the criminal group’s ability was the use of a falsified paperwork to rent the ship, which is usual among this type of organised gang; they impersonated third parties to mask their genuine identities.

The operation led to the arrest of four people suspected of drug trafficking, document forgery, electricity fraud, and membership in a criminal organisation. The plantation was demolished, and all 784 plants were seized.

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Costa Blanca

Torreta Florida, Torrevieja floodplain park has been inaugurated

Eduardo Dolón, Mayor of Torrevieja, was joined by Sandra Sánchez, Councillor for Urban Services; Concha Sala, Councillor for Parks and Gardens; Diana Box, Councillor for Sports; Jorge Ballesta, Manager and Deputy Manager of AGAMED; and Gemma Cruz to inaugurate the new skate park in the Torrealmendros rolling pond. This facility is part of a larger initiative to develop, improve, and integrate Torreta Florida Floodplain Park into the landscape.

Claudio Pastor, the president of the Puro Skateboard Torrevieja Skating Club, and secretary Silvia Jiménez led a large contingent of members to the opening ceremony. It is worth noting that Valeria Chacón, a young Torrevieja member of this club, is the Valencian Community champion in her category and is currently competing in an Olympic sport. The club’s skating squad complimented and thanked Torrevieja City Council for developing this enormous sports facility, which was created with their input to be as effective as possible for their training sessions.

The mayor congratulated AGAMED on the opening of the sports area located on the storm pond, which required an expenditure of about 700,000 euros, and praised the Puro Skateboard Club for its support and collaboration throughout the development of the park. The park has become a popular location for practicing this sport.

This new sports facility includes a modern skate park with specialised modules such as Quarter+Flat, Hand Rail, Manual Pad+Flat, Flat Rail, and Funbox+Hubba+Spine, allowing skaters to practise numerous modalities and techniques of this urban sport.

The project comprises not only the sports facility but also a callisthenics area, new street furniture, and a thorough landscape integration plan based on planting, all of which contribute to the space’s renaturalisation and the establishment of a new green space for all citizens to enjoy.

This project is a key step towards upgrading Torrevieja’s sports and leisure facilities by providing a modern and multifunctional place for skateboarding and other outdoor activities.