The Congress reproves the Minister of Education, Milagros Tolón, for Spain's debacle in PISA and asks Sánchez to dismiss her

The Congress of Deputies has this Wednesday censured the Minister of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, Milagros Tolón, for Spain's setback in the PISA 2025 report and for the management of the start of the school year in Ceuta. The PP's motion has passed by 177 votes to 171, thanks to the support of the far-right Vox, Junts and UPN.

The Chamber has also urged the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, to dismiss Tolón so that education may be, according to the approved text, "a true priority" on the Executive's agenda. The censure represents a serious political setback for the minister, although it has no legal effects and her continuity depends exclusively on the head of the Government.

The agreement holds Tolón responsible for the "disastrous" results obtained by Spain in PISA and for not having assumed responsibility. It also censures her actions in the face of the difficulties caused by the migratory crisis at the beginning of the school year in Ceuta, where educational competencies correspond directly to the Ministry.

The vote, however, reveals a circumstance difficult to overlook. Tolón has held the Ministry since December 22, 2025, barely nine months ago, and the PISA tests that are now unleashing the political storm had already been carried out when she took office. The educational decline dates back years and spans the tenure of different ministers, educational laws, and regional governments.

This gap between the analyzed results and Tolón's arrival at the Ministry weakens any attempt to personally attribute the setback to her. The censure primarily punishes the Government's response to the data and makes the current minister the political face of a problem accumulated over more than a decade.

The initiative has also united in a single vote the PISA report, general educational policy, and the situation in Ceuta. The PNV spokesperson, Joseba Agirretxea, has defined the text as a "hodgepodge of ingredients difficult to digest," while the PP maintains that both issues reflect the same lack of direction in the Ministry.

A serious setback with many causes

The data explains the harshness of the debate. Spanish 15-year-old students obtain 451 points in reading, 457 in mathematics, and 477 in science, below the average of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) in all three competencies. Compared to 2022, Spain loses 23 points in reading, 16 in mathematics, and seven in science, although this last variation is not statistically significant.

The OECD places the results among the lowest recorded by Spain since it began participating in the evaluation. 32% of students do not reach the minimum level in reading, 33% fall below in mathematics, and 24% in science. The presence of excellent students also continues to be low, especially in reading and mathematics.

The deterioration affects a large part of developed countries, although the Spanish decline exceeds the OECD average in reading and mathematics. The report points to problems that go far beyond a specific education law. Among them are the loss of reading habits, absenteeism, less family involvement, lack of staff in schools, and distractions caused by digital devices.

Tue Halgreen, an OECD analyst and one of the PISA managers, has identified the main weakness in the comprehension of extensive texts. "If the text has more than 400 words, we start to see problems," he warned. The evaluation shows that 29% of Spanish students experience frequent distractions from devices during science classes and that 49% study in centers whose directors detect teacher shortages.

The PSOE has argued that the decline affects the entire developed world and has recalled that school organization largely depends on the autonomous communities. It also emphasizes that the LOMLOE curricula began to be applied in September 2022, so the students examined have completed most of their schooling under previous frameworks, including the LOMCE approved during Mariano Rajoy's government.

Educational measures run out of majority

The most striking result of the session appears when comparing the reprobation with the proposed solutions. Congress gathers a majority to censure Tolón, but rejects a large part of the educational measures proposed by the PP, which receive 171 votes in favor and 176 against.

Among the defeated initiatives are the reinforcement of reading comprehension and written expression, one hour of daily reading in Primary school, the regulation of screens during compulsory education, free education from zero to three years old, a reform of the teaching profession, and stable educational funding. Some of these had broad support within the educational community but were included in a package that also incorporated ideological proposals and changes in the distribution of powers.

Points related to Ceuta have prospered. The Chamber urges the Government to adopt the necessary measures to effect, within legality, the return of those who entered the city irregularly. For minors, it demands identification, age determination, location of their families, and respect for their best interest. It has also requested to guarantee the safety and emotional well-being of Ceuta students.

The socialists have defended the Executive's actions by recalling the 8,756 million euros transferred to the autonomous communities for education between 2018 and 2024 and the recovery of the Reinforcement, Orientation, and Support Program. The PP replies that the investment has not translated into better results and accuses the Government of taking refuge in regional powers to avoid any self-criticism.

Tolón remains at the head of the Ministry because the vote does not open any automatic procedure to remove her. Sánchez will decide whether to heed the request for dismissal while Education faces a much more difficult task than overcoming a parliamentary censure: converting the PISA diagnosis into measures capable of gathering a majority that did not appear in Congress this Wednesday.