Malaga Education Week, which takes place from 7-14 January, aims to focus the attention of the study abroad industry on Malaga as a first-class destination for the study of Spanish as a foreign language.

Malaga has 28 centres for teaching Spanish as a foreign language, which represents nearly half of the offer in Andalusia and 15% of the total in Spain

The goal of MEW is to highlight the importance of Spanish, the world’s second language of international communication after English, and its increasing inclusion in national education syllabuses.

It also aims to encourage teachers of Spanish in secondary education, business schools and universities to promote their immersion courses in Spain as supplementary programs to those given overseas.

Malaga has 28 centres for teaching Spanish as a foreign language, which represents nearly half of the offer in Andalusia and 15% of the total in Spain.

The week-long celebration will include ECELE, an annual meeting of Spanish teachers and the Malaga Congress, where delegates will discuss Spanish as a financial resource.

ECELE has the objective of enabling directors and academic managers of secondary and professional education from around the world to get to know the opportunities for studying Spanish in Spain.

It will feature talks about the range of courses offered in Spain and to explain the benefits of the Instituto Cervantes accreditation process.

There will also be direct sessions between schools and the invited teachers as well as cultural, touristic and gastronomic activities.

At the Malaga Congress, top-level government, university and education representatives will discuss the importance of the language to the Spanish and international economy to stimulate study abroad and showcase Malaga as a study destination.

Speaking at the MEW launch, Costa del Sol Tourism CEO, Jacobo Florido recalled that the province of Malaga is second only to Madrid in Spanish schools accredited by the Cervantes Institute, adding: “it is no coincidence that Malaga stands as a destination for a week of great development for the language tourism that awaits us in January.”