Education will subsidize dining hall monitors in semi-private special education centers

The Department of Education and Vocational Training has approved the regulatory bases for the subsidies intended to finance the personnel expenses of dining, leisure, and transport monitors at private subsidized special education centers during the 2026-2027 academic year. The regulation, Order EDF/183/2026, of September 22, signed by the counselor Esther Niubó Cidoncha, is published in the Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya (DOGC) no. 9761, of September 30, 2026, with the official reference CVE-DOGC-A-26271059-2026.

The measure responds to article 6.3 of Law 12/2009, of July 10, on education, which obliges administrations to offer aid to students with disabilities and recognized educational needs to facilitate their access under equal conditions to dining and transport services. As stated in the preamble of the order, private subsidized special education centers provide this monitoring to properly address the diversity of their students, and the Department wishes to prevent the cost from falling on the families.

The aid line is integrated into the Department’s Strategic Subsidy Plan 2025-2028 with the code PES25-28_EDF0016. The processing includes the justificatory and economic report signed by the director general of Subsidized Centers and Private Centers on June 8, 2026, the report from the Department’s Legal Advisory of June 18, 2026, and the report from the Delegated Comptroller of July 20, 2026.

Non-competitive concurrence and recipients

The granting procedure is of non-competitive concurrence, meaning without comparing applications: the aid is granted according to available funds. The instructing body and the body competent to issue the resolution are those determined by the call.

Beneficiaries may be:

• Private subsidized special education centers that provide school dining, leisure, and/or transport services.
• Entities that meet the general requirements of article 13 of Law 38/2003, the general law on subsidies, and the specific requirements of the bases.

Among the requirements are the accreditation that personnel with habitual contact with minors possess the certificate from the Central Registry of Sexual Offenders, compliance with accessibility, equality, and linguistic policy regulations, and being up to date with tax and Social Security obligations.

Eligible expenses and payment

Personnel expenses for monitors incurred during the academic year subject to the call are considered eligible expenses:

• Payroll for contracted personnel and the corresponding social security contributions.
• Invoices paid by the beneficiary entity to the company providing the services, if applicable.

The maximum amount and the budgetary allocation will be established by the call for applications, as well as the amount per beneficiary. The grant may never exceed the cost of the activity, even when adding other subsidies, income, or resources. Entities may subcontract up to 100% of the subsidized activity, and justification will be carried out by modules.

Payment will be made in two installments: an advance of 90% once the call for applications has been resolved, and the remaining 10% after verifying the requirements and the justification of the activity.

Deadlines, control, and appeals

The rules enter into force the day after publication in the DOGC. Applications shall be submitted electronically through Tràmits Gencat using the standardized form, and defects may be corrected within a period of 10 business days. The resolution will be notified via publication in the DOGC and on the Generalitat’s electronic notice board, which replaces individual notification.

Against the order, which exhausts the administrative route, an appeal for reversal may be filed within one month, or a contentious-administrative appeal may be filed before the High Court of Justice of Catalonia within two months. Beneficiaries shall be subject to verification actions by the granting body, the General Comptroller of the Generalitat, and the Audit Office.

The regulation provides legal coverage for a line of grants that seeks to alleviate the expenses of families with children enrolled in special education centers and to guarantee the continuity of monitoring services, an essential support for the autonomy and inclusion of these students. Interested centers must stay alert for the call for applications, which will specify amounts, deadlines, and budgetary allocation.

Source: Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya, no. 9761, of September 30, 2026, Other provisions (official reference: CVE-DOGC-A-26271059-2026).