EPIC has requested that the Department of Education and Vocational Training reconsider the scope of the fourth edition of the 2026 School Voucher scheme and include private schools in this family support measure.
The Department’s initial communication stated that the School Voucher was intended for Primary and Secondary students within the Catalan Education Service. It has since been confirmed that private schools are excluded.
EPIC considers this exclusion particularly significant, as private schools are part of the Catalan Education Service under the current regulatory framework. In this regard, we understand that this decision reinforces an explicit distinction between public and publicly funded schools on the one hand, and private schools on the other, within the Catalan education system.
Our request is based on the fact that the School Voucher is a measure designed to support families in compulsory education and in accessing basic educational resources. In this context, we believe that excluding a portion of students based on school ownership undermines the principle of equality that should guide any broadly applicable public policy in education.
Furthermore, this exclusion not only affects families, but also sends a message of differentiation within the education system itself, even though the regulations recognize all schools, public, publicly funded, and private, as part of the Catalan Education Service.
For all these reasons, EPIC has once again submitted its request to the Department to amend the scope of the measure and ensure the inclusion of private schools in the fourth edition of the 2026 School Voucher scheme, guaranteeing truly equitable treatment for all students.