Temporary closure of Ziga public school due to low enrollment

The Department of Education of the Government of Navarra has ordered the temporary cessation of activity of the early childhood and primary education school of Ziga, in the Baztán Valley, effective from the start of the 2026-2027 academic year. The decision, adopted due to a reduction in the center’s enrollment, is detailed in Resolution 190/2026, dated August 19, published in the Official Gazette of Navarra number 175, dated September 4, 2026.

The resolution, signed by the Director General of Infrastructure, Digitalization, and Educational Services, Luis Calatayud Yuste, is based on the file initiated at the request of the Educational Inspection Service, which reported on the circumstances of the enrollment reduction and proposed the temporary cessation of activity.

Regulatory Framework

The measure is adopted in accordance with Article 2 of Foral Decree 80/2019, of July 3, which reorganizes the network of Public Educational Centers of the Foral Community of Navarra. The Director General acts by virtue of the powers conferred in Foral Decree 245/2023, of November 15, which establishes the organic structure of the Department of Education, and upon the proposal of the Educational ICT Technologies and Infrastructure Service.

The affected center is the early childhood and primary education school of Ziga, with center code 31001080, located at Karrika Nagusia, number 14, in the aforementioned town.

Obligations Prior to Cessation

Before the activity ceases, the center’s management must conduct an inventory of all existing school and administrative materials. Additionally, it must request in writing that the Jurada de Ziga take charge of the conservation and maintenance of the premises assigned to the educational service, the furniture and school materials, as well as the custody of academic and administrative documentation, for the purposes of a potential recovery of the educational service.

The documentation that must be preserved includes:

• That related to academic management: evaluation minutes, academic records and certificates, and guidance reports.
• That related to administrative and economic management: minutes of collegiate bodies, enrollment records, center personnel records, and account books.

Procedures and Notifications

The temporary cessation will be entered into the Register of Teaching Centers of Navarra and will be forwarded to the Register of Teaching Centers of the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, and Sport. The resolution will be notified to the management of the center itself, the schools of Almándoz and “San Francisco Javier” of Elizondo, the IES/BHI of Lekároz, the Jurada de Ziga, and the General Council of the Baztán Valley.

In the event that the definitive suppression of the center is decreed by Government Agreement, the custody of academic and administrative documentation must be assumed by the “San Francisco Javier” public school in Elizondo, as the lead center for the region. The General Council of the Baztán Valley, once the notification of the Agreement has been received, may request the Infrastructure Service of the Department of Education to remove the educational designation of the school facilities.

Impact on the area

The temporary closure of the school in Ziga represents a new blow to the network of rural centers in Navarra, which is already facing pressure from low enrollment in small towns in the Pyrenees and the northern area. Families in the locality must enroll their children in the region’s centers, such as those in Almándoz or Elizondo, while the Government keeps the door open to an eventual recovery of the educational service in the future.

Source: Official Gazette of Navarra, number 175, September 4, 2026, page 31720 (official reference: Resolution 190/2026).