The CEIP Ramiro Soláns in Zaragoza has been awarded the Princess of Girona School Award 2024 today, in recognition of its transformational educational project that promotes systemic change from an environment with great social and cultural diversity. The jury particularly valued its capacity for transfer as a sustainable and replicable model, its appreciative leadership, the cohesion of its teaching team, and its commitment to social justice, equity, and inclusion.
The announcement of the award took place during the educational sessions held at CaixaForum Madrid, coinciding with a new stop on the Talent Tour 2025, promoted by the Princess of Girona Foundation. The event also included the graduation of the fifth cohort of the «Generation of Teachers» program and the premiere of the homonymous documentary, produced in collaboration with Secuoya Studios.
In the words of Francisco Belil, president of the Foundation, “Today is a day of celebration for education with purpose. The CEIP Ramiro Soláns is an example of how education can transform realities, improve communities, and generate a future.”
A school that transforms realities
The CEIP Ramiro Soláns is a public center for early childhood and primary education in Zaragoza that has steadfastly worked for two decades to increase educational success rates, reduce absenteeism, and build a fairer and more inclusive school environment. In 2004, the school recorded a 40% absenteeism rate; today that figure has decreased to 4%. Its educational success rate has risen from 5% to the current 70-80%.
The director of the center, Rosa Llorente García, emotionally expressed her gratitude for the recognition: “This award is, above all, for our families and our students. They are the engine of change. This journey has been full of challenges, but also of shared learning. We are a community that deeply believes in inclusion and in the power of education to transform lives.”
The educational project of CEIP Ramiro Soláns promotes competencies such as self-esteem, empathy, change management, teamwork, and positive language, turning its students into agents of transformation and teachers into a critical mass committed to their environment.
A reference jury and a network of exemplary centers
The jury was composed of prominent figures from the educational, business, and social sectors, including Javier García Cañete (Botín Foundation), Cristina Gomis (Zurich Spain), Elena Díaz Alejo (Samsung Spain), Inmaculada Garrido (School Award 2023), and José María Moncasi (Vertex Foundation), among others.
With this award, CEIP Ramiro Soláns joins the network of educational centers recognized in previous editions by the Foundation, such as IES Ramón y Cajal in Zaragoza (2021), CEIP Gumersindo Azcárate in León (2022), or the Purísima Concepción Special Education Center in Granada (2023), among others.
The award includes a sculpture by the artist Juan Zamora, Princess of Girona Arts Award 2017, and a training plan and experiences in educational innovation developed by the Foundation.
Education with purpose: Talent Tour and new documentary
The award presentation was part of a day focused on the transformative value of education, featuring authorities such as Abelardo de la Rosa, Secretary of State for Education; Emilio Viciana, Madrid’s Education Counselor; and the main representatives of the Princess of Girona Foundation.
One of the most emotional moments of the event was the premiere of the documentary “Generation of Teachers”, which portrays the first work experience of five young teachers in rural schools in Aragón, Galicia, Castilla y León, and Extremadura. The film, available from today on Movistar+, is a tribute to rural schools, their professionals, and education with soul.
CEIP Ramiro Soláns has not only won an award: it has reaffirmed its place as a national reference for educational innovation, inclusion, and commitment to social transformation through the school. An inspiring model that demonstrates that public education can and must be a driver of justice and hope.
