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If you live in Murcia and your children, grandchildren or even neighbours' children seem remarkably comfortable switching between Spanish and English, there is a good reason for it. New figures from the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports confirm that the Region of Murcia leads the whole of Spain for bilingual education, and by quite some margin.

 

According to statistics for the 2024-2025 academic year, 98.7% of primary school pupils in Murcia study at least one subject in a foreign language. To put that in context, the national average is just 40%. In secondary education the story is equally impressive, with 66.5% of pupils enrolled in bilingual programmes, compared to a national average of just over 30%.

 

It starts early too. Every single child in the second cycle of Early Childhood Education in the region, that is 100% of them, already has contact with a foreign language at that stage, against a national average of 84%.

 

Murcia also ranks third in Spain for the proportion of primary pupils studying a second foreign language, at 32.4%, which is 18.4 points above the national average of 14%. The same third-place ranking applies in secondary education, where 57.4% of pupils take a second foreign language as an optional subject, nearly 20 points higher than the rest of the country.

 

The region's Education Minister, Víctor Marín, was understandably pleased with the results. "These figures confirm that the Region of Murcia is a national leader in language teaching and the implementation of bilingual programmes," he said. "We lead the national rankings in both primary and secondary education thanks to the regional government's commitment to language teaching, the dedication of teachers, school management teams, students, and families, who understand that language learning is a key tool for students' future."

 

Beyond the school system, 7,813 people studied at Official Language Schools in the region during the same academic year. English was the most popular choice, followed by French, German and Italian.

 

For English speakers living in Murcia, it is quietly reassuring news. The next generation here is growing up with languages very much at the heart of their education.

 

 

 

 

Image: Pixabay