MADRID, Spain – Thousands of children will return to classrooms across Ceuta on Tuesday, 8 September, but the first day of school, and likely many that follow, will be profoundly overshadowed by the crisis that has gripped the city since 30 July, when more than 70,000 migrants crossed the border with Morocco. With tensions running high among the population of Ceuta, a pervasive sense of “insecurity” and “mistrust” now predominates among families. The government’s decision to deploy private security at school gates and surrounding areas has done little to reassure the educational community, which feels that normality has been stolen and doubts whether current conditions are adequate, particularly for teenagers who already travel to school unaccompanied.
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Laura Ferrón, a 42-year-old Ceuta resident and mother of a three-year-old boy who will start school for the first time this September, expressed deep unease about the situation. She acknowledged that many people are afraid and do not wish to send their children to school, while others have no choice due to work commitments. She added that if she saw most families deciding against sending their children, she would reconsider her own decision. Her son’s situation is further complicated by the city’s decision to delay the start of classes in nursery schools until the end of September because of the ongoing crisis.
Aware of the need to calm public anxiety, the government has announced a security plan to keep schools under surveillance during school hours, as well as in the afternoons and at night, to prevent intrusions and ensure that access to educational centres remains safe. The plan involves deploying officers from the Police, Civil Guard, Army and Civil Protection along school routes, at bus stops, in the vicinity of schools and at the gates of the centres themselves, particularly during entry and exit times and during break periods. However, the specific number of agents assigned to the operation has not been disclosed, with government delegation sources citing security reasons for withholding the figure.
Despite these measures, many families view them as a temporary patch and fear that the heightened security presence will persist throughout the entire academic year. Ferrón voiced her concern that she would not want her son to grow up believing that having a soldier at the school gate is normal. Cristina Roldán, a 43-year-old mother and teacher at a public secondary school in the city, echoed this sentiment, criticising the slow pace of official responses and the lack of real solutions being put in place.
Roldán, who teaches at a secondary school, described the internal conflict she feels as both a parent and an educator. Like many other parents, she is not entirely sure that her children will be safe at school, yet she also believes that her children have already been robbed of their summer, the beach, parks and friends, and she is unwilling to let them lose their education and routine as well. She recounted a pre-term meeting with the teaching staff, during which the principal outlined the security plan. The problem, she noted, is that most students at her school already come and go on their own, so while there will be surveillance at the gate, the question remains about what happens during the journey to and from school.
Her seven-year-old son will return to the Ortega y Gasset school, one of the centres that was occupied by migrants in the early days of the crisis. Roldán recalled that migrants entered the classrooms, and the caretaker told her that people had still been coming in to sleep recently, although officials have assured that everything has now been cleaned and is ready for the first day of classes.
Sofía Ortega, director of the Federation of Parents’ and Students’ Associations FAMPA Cuatro Culturas in Ceuta, acknowledged that the school year will begin with high levels of absenteeism. She noted that some families have already stated that even if measures are taken, they will not send their children during the first few days. The core issue, she said, is a widespread distrust of the administration, coupled with considerable unease and anxiety ahead of the imminent start of term, with families feeling that they have received very little information. Parents are worried about security both inside and outside the schools, she explained, because the city is tense and public sentiment is highly strained, and she called for efforts to recover the trust that has been lost.
Beyond physical security, teachers and families are warning of a second consequence: the psychological impact of the past month. Educators describe an atmosphere of constant worry and alertness and are demanding that the response should not fall solely on their shoulders. Trade unions have insisted on the need to reinforce psychological support for both students and teachers, given that the situation could affect coexistence and the smooth development of the academic year. Lola Cuadra, spokesperson for CSIF Education in Ceuta, called for a psychologist to be present in every school, arguing that teachers cannot take on any more burden than they already carry, and also demanded support for educators who are now living in a state of constant alarm.
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The start of the school year will thus serve as a litmus test for Ceuta. The educational community will see this week whether the announced measures are sufficient to restore trust and, in time, normality. For many, however, the recovery of that sense of security and routine remains the city’s greatest challenge as it confronts the lasting scars of a crisis that has reshaped daily life.
