The Universitat per a Majors project, backed by the Universitat de les Illes Balears, the Govern Balear, the Formentera Council and l'Obra Social de la Caixa, is returning to Formentera. This Friday, 8 May, at five p.m. in the Sant Ferran social centre, a conference entitled “Cants de tradició oral a Eivissa i Formentera” ('Orally-transmitted traditional song in Eivissa and Formentera'), imparted by Dr Jaume Escandell, will kick off the lecture series.

One of the paramount ideas behind the conference series – which will make stops in Sant Francesc, Sant Ferran and La Mola – is that learning never stops. The 5-6:30 p.m. slot will remain unchanged throughout the series, whose next appearance will come to pass 22 May at the La Mola senior centre with a conference by Dr Olga Cardona, “El que s'ha de saber de les herències” ('Understanding inheritance'). The following week, 29 May, Dr Jaume Vadell will speak in Sant Francesc on “Agricultura Ecològica”.

In June, Josep L. Joan will host a talk in Sant Ferran on “Les tradicions rurals d'ahir: llavors de futur per al camp d'Eivissa i Formentera” ('Bygone rural traditions: seeds of the future for the Eivissa-Formentera countryside') [19 June], the last conference before breaking for the summer heat. The series will start up again in September, when children head back to the classroom too. 18 September, in Sant Francesc, José M. Escalona will lead a lecture titled “El vi saludable” ('Healthy wine').

Two different talks are on the agenda in October: on the 2nd in Sant Ferran, “Els topònims de Formentera al llarg de la història de la cartografia” ('Formentera toponyms throughout the history of cartography') , led by Josep A. Prats. And then, having kicked things off in May, on 23 October Dr Jaume Escandell will be back in Sant Francesc to lead the final talk, “Músiques instrumentals de transmissió oral a les Pitiüses” ('Orally-transmitted instrumental music in the Pitiüsa islands'). All of the conferences are open to the public.

The fourth through the fourteenth of May is the period of enrolment for the 2015-2016 school year at the Sa Miranda nursery school, as well as enrolment for one to three year olds at the summer school to be held this year at the Casal de l'Esport, located on the Camí Vell de la Mola, next to the football pitch.

Applications must be submitted to the Citizen Information Office (OAC) of Sant Francesc Xavier. At present the Formentera Council is overseeing transformation of the Casal de l'Esport into a provisional school, which, in summertime, will serve as an early-childhood learning centre – or escoleta – for one to three year olds. Looking ahead to the coming school year, if both educators and families agree, the centre could continue as a provisional nursery until the new Sant Ferran escoleta is finished.

FiC president Jaume Ferrer and councillor of education and culture Sònia Cardona, together with Esperança Suñer, headmistress of the Escoleta de Sa Miranda nursery school in Sant Francesc, and Hector Martínez Company, staff specialist in infrastructure, paid a visit this morning to the Casal de l'Esport of the municipal football pitch, a locale dedicated to hosting sports-related activities on the island.

The visit was intended as an opportunity for the individuals to share their expertise in education and infrastructure and weigh the possibility of adapting the locale for use as a summer school for infants ages one through three. The local summer school (or escola d'estiu) programme is currently only open to school-age children, although a significant number of parents have expressed a need for a more encompassing service.

In the words of Jaume Ferrer: “The ideal situation will be to have an early-learning centre designed expressly to meet the needs of our youngest children. That is what we'll have [with the new school] in Sant Ferran but it's not yet a reality. However, this doesn't need to stop us from providing a service that our local population is saying is necessary”.

The FiC president said that the services currently offered at the Casal were “important and expansive”, while acknowledging that for the time being they weren't necessarily educational in nature. Ferrer added: “This is a space that was, from the get-go, designed to be open and adaptable, which makes the task of imagining different, provisional uses that much easier.”

Sònia Cardona reflected: “The idea is for the space to serve as an early-learning centre until the new escoleta in Sant Ferran is finished, and this is what we've communicated to the technical specialists working on the project. Their work now is to decide what changes will be necessary so that the Casal can become a safe, adapted centre for our children”.

Cardona called to mind the Council's project, long since complete, to expand the Sa Miranda nursery school in Sant Francesc, and noted that, now that the Formentera Council has received notice from Ibisec about the location of the future Sant Ferran learning centre, the parallel project in that town “is a priority for our administration.”

The technical crew of educational and infrastructure specialists provided an extremely positive evaluation of the Casal space, citing its spaciousness, light and inner courtyards as advantages and noting that primary changes would need to include a remodel of the toilets and separation walls to create individual classrooms.

The Formentera Council and local public libraries are holding another in a series of monthly workshops dedicated to environmental education for children four and up. This Wednesday 25 March at 5pm, the Marià Villangómez library in Sant Francesc Xavier will host “Les energies que ens envolten” ('The energies around us').

Through games and practical hands-on exercises, kids will learn about the importance of energy and natural energy sources. As at every workshop in the series, the library will prepare a bookcase full of books and other educational material concerning the week's topic.