Mijas and Marbella mark start of new academic year with opening of long-awaited secondary schools

Mijas and Marbella are finally opening their long-awaited secondary schools. After years of demands and waiting, this academic year - which starts this Monday 16 September - the Cilniana secondary school in Marbella and Ana Carmona Veleta secondary school in Mijas opened their doors. The department of education invested seven million euros in both facilities.

This Monday students of secondary, baccalaureate, vocational training and adult continuing education (162,562 students) returned to the classroom. A total of 347,746 students and more than 23,200 teachers in 1,238 public, public and private schools have returned to classes this September.

The regional ministry of education in Andalucía has carried out 80 projects for the construction, extension and refurbishment of educational centres in 2024. Of those completed so far this year or with completion planned for the last quarter of 2024 (350 throughout Andalucía), a total of 35,843 students will benefit in Malaga province. Two of them correspond to the commissioning of the new high schools in Marbella and Mijas; another seven are related to extensions of spaces for training schemes, while the remaining 71 are reforms, improvements or modernising existing centres. In total, the value of the investment exceeds 30 million euros, a significant percentage of the 124.2 million euros invested in educational infrastructure throughout the region in 2024.

Since 2019, the Andalusian regional government has invested nearly 60 million euros in the province to improve and maintain schools, with a total of 385 works. In the last two years alone, 41 works have been undertaken in schools in Malaga city, all of them already completed, with an investment of nearly 10 million euros.

This new academic year will see the launch of new training programmes in some of the secondary schools in Malaga city and province, which has required some refurbishment. In eight secondary schools in Malaga city and province, work has been carried out, either already completed or pending completion in the near future, with an investment of almost 10 million euros.

These investments to extend or adapt spaces for vocational training studies have been made in Santa Bárbara (2.1 million), Martín Aldehuela (2.7 million), Gerald Brenan, in Alhaurín de la Torre (0,5 million), Arroyo de la Miel (1 million), Valle del Azahar in Cártama (0.5 million), Antonio Gala in Alhaurín El Grande (1 million), Pintor José María Hernández in Antequera (0.85 million) and Valle del Sol in Álora (1 million).

For this academic year, there are 20,447 places available for new entrants to vocational training. The offer has been extended with 12 new authorisations, five higher level courses (renewable energies at IES Martín de Aldehuela in Malaga; tourism accommodation management at Sierra Blanca in Marbella; administration and finance at Gerald Brenan in Alhaurín de la Torre; automotive at Antonio Gala in Alhaurín el Grande and coordination of emergencies and civil protection at the Pérez de Guzmán Institute in Ronda. This last cycle is being taught for the first time in Malaga.

Another five intermediate level courses: emergencies and civil protection at IES Santa Bárbara in Malaga; commercial activities at Pedro Espinosa in Antequera and microcomputer systems at CDP La Asunción in Malaga. For the first time in Malaga, it will be possible to study dressmaking and fashion at the Vicente Espinel and water treatment networks and stations at the Martín de Aldehuela, both in Malaga city.

The offer is completed with a basic level course in domestic activities and building cleaning at the IES Pintor José María Fernández de Antequera and a higher level specialisation course in cybersecurity in information technology environments at the Jesús Marín School.