The city’s crisis is now being measured in empty classrooms.
CEUTA, SPAIN
Approximately 35% of Ceuta’s primary-school pupils missed the first day of the academic year as families continued to express concern about security following the mass border crossings of late July. Attendance reached 65% in primary education and 83% in secondary schools, according to Education Minister Milagros Tolón. All public and state-supported schools opened as scheduled, and the day ended without serious incidents.
The figures reveal how deeply the recent migration crisis has affected daily life in the Spanish autonomous city. Authorities estimate that between 5,000 and 10,000 people may have entered Ceuta during the crossings, although the precise number—and how many remain in the territory—has not been established. Conflicting official estimates and persistent uncertainty have intensified anxiety among parents deciding whether their children should return to class.
The Ministry of Education introduced private security at public and state-supported schools and reinforced fencing at five early-childhood and primary centres. Police officers were also visible near some campuses, while Tolón said additional personnel were operating without uniforms. The deployment was intended to reassure families, but it also generated criticism from parents who objected to children beginning the school year in heavily guarded surroundings.
Around 17,500 pupils and 1,700 teachers are returning to Ceuta’s schools. Authorities have agreed to justify student absences throughout September in recognition of the exceptional circumstances. That accommodation may reduce immediate conflict with families, but prolonged non-attendance could deepen educational inequalities in a territory that already ranks near the bottom of Spain’s national results in science, mathematics and reading comprehension.
Teachers have raised concerns extending beyond physical security. Staff at several schools, particularly in vulnerable districts such as El Príncipe, reported rubbish and human waste outside school entrances and said additional personnel promised during the crisis had not materialised. These conditions make the return to education more than a question of opening buildings. Schools must also provide safe surroundings, emotional support and sufficient staffing if families are to recover confidence.
Ceuta’s first day back therefore exposed the distance between administrative normality and lived normality. Classes can officially resume while fear, uncertainty and deteriorating public spaces continue shaping whether children reach their desks. Restoring attendance will require more than surveillance: it will depend on credible information, cleaner neighbourhoods and institutions capable of convincing families that everyday life is genuinely becoming secure again.
Education cannot return to normal while fear still governs everyday life.