Educational Challenges in Spain

Written by María Núñez Fontain

“A BOAT WITHOUT A CAPTAIN IS CONDEMNED TO SINK“

Spain is a developed country and member of the European Union, which would give it a clear advantage in terms of educational levels and resources. Nevertheless, taking a closer look at Spain’s educational system, this quickly proves not to be the case.

At first glance, Spain’s most predominant issue seems to be clear: despite numerous attempts to modernise and adapt the educational curriculum, it still seems to be far and detached from the demands of its society.[1] Due to its decentralized State, this also proved problematic when attempting to achieve unity and equality.

As recent as 2021, Spain introduced the LOMLOE,[2] the new law on education that built upon the previous one – LOE – and obliviated the previous legislation, the LOMCE. This new law highlights sustainable development, gender equality, childhood rights, digital transformation and the adoption of a transversal approach to ensure success throughout constant improvement.

DROPOUT RATES

Spanish students tend to obtain low results on the PISA tests, despite being one of the countries that spends most time in classrooms.[3] The PISA is a test which measures 15-year-old´s educational level, and it is taken every three years. These low results reflect Spain´s teaching method, which focuses on memorizing information and not developing one´s autonomy and problem-solving skills. Another issue which may be linked to Spain’s low results is the fact that it currently has the highest school drop out rate of all European Union, as the current teaching methods make it difficult to maintain the student´s motivation and interest.[4] Unfortunately, this apathy also translates onto the teachers, who should be the ones sparking the interest of the students but, at the same time, should be motivated themselves.

The rate of early school dropout reached 14% in 2012, 5% above the EU target for 2030 which is set at 9%. This number makes Spain the second country in Europe with the most amount of people between 18 and 24 years old without basic education and training.[5] This percentage being highest among students whose mothers did not complete their primary education.[6] Ultimately, this reflects the biggest challenge currently facing Spain’s education system: the socioeconomic segregation.

SOCIOECONOMIC SEGREGATION

This is an issue which the European Commission and the United Nations have repeatedly requested Spain to address, and the socioeconomic disparity was also targeted in a report by the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights in 2020. Before analysing its content, this article will offer a brief outlook at the socioeconomic situation of Spain with regards to education.

When addressing educational shortcomings, debates often revolve around aspects such as religion as a school subject or the strict use of the State’s official languages.[7] These two issues, while relevant, are far removed from the immediate problem. Spain shows high rates of inequality, scholarly failure, lack of monetary resources and scholarly segregation for socioeconomic reasons.[8]

In Spain, public schools host a high percentage of immigrants and students from low income families, which only increases the correlation between the quality of the education and the monetary resources to afford it – ultimately turning public schools into “guettos” with limited possibilities for their students and teachers.[9]

With the new legislation, the criteria for selecting students into public and private schools will fall on the hands of the public Administration, in what seems as an attempt to bridge this gap. In spite of this, the lack of awareness – or willingness to do so – must be addressed first if any solutions are going to be discussed.

Boy walking with a backpack in Spain. Picture by Jesús Rodríguez (2017)

THE ROLE OF TEACHERS

There is one challenge around which there is – almost – universal consensus: the role of the teachers. As the figures in charge of guiding students from an early age, teachers are often not given the respect they deserve as attending school is seen as a “tedious chore” in Spain. This might be because of the education teachers themselves receive, which is focused on the institutional aspects but does not give them the tools from a pedagogic perspective.[10]

Furthermore, the profession of a teacher presents a high percentage of instability, which prevents them from growing professionally.[11] This is exacerbated by the numerous changes in the educational laws that have taken place during recent times, a common object of concern and condemnation amongst teachers. With education often being used as a political weapon, its legislation changes along with the different governments.

Broken Chalk had the opportunity to interview Raúl Prada, the Head of Language Departments of a school in Spain. His answers will allow the reader to gain a better perspective on the education challenges that Spain currently faces from the perspective of a teacher who, as said by himself, is “in love with his profession”.

Q. What, in your opinion, are the main educational challenges in Spain?

I believe that the main challenges facing education in Spain are an excessive ratio in the classrooms that prevents the teacher from giving personalised attention. With the increase in students with special needs in each classroom, the problem worsens: these students are the most affected by this inability to provide them with special care and, ultimately, it plays a role in moving them further and further away from their integration into society.

Q. Do you think that in Spain there is a problem of socioeconomic segregation when it comes to education? Why? Why not?

Socioeconomic segregation is clearly connected to what was answered above, since the excess ratio at all levels causes students with more personal, social and economic difficulties to see themselves in clear inferiority with respect to those whose families can afford external support. This becomes even more evident in those families who cannot afford for their children to participate in activities during extracurricular hours.

Q. Have you encountered any experiences of socioeconomic segregation?

The aforementioned is a fact that we encounter every day in any classroom in Spain: an excess of students who should have more and better attention and teachers who cannot give more than they do, causing great frustration in them.

Q. How do you think teachers are viewed in the Spanish educational system?

The role of the teacher in Spain has been socially degraded increasingly each year, becoming not very well regarded by some families who question their decisions and, in many cases, far from helping, hinder their work. This is aggravated by the Administration, that increases every year the bureaucratic burden and forgets that the most important objective of the teacher is to educate.

Q. What measures or ideas would you suggest to improve the situation of the teachers?

The main solutions I would recommend based on my personal experience are firstly, to lower the ratio in the number of students per classroom, and secondly, to decrease the bureaucratic burden that exists in education and schools.

Q. Would you like to share any experience – positive, negative or both – about your experience and role as a teacher?

I am a positive person and in love with my profession, so any experience I can contribute with is positive. I always keep in mind what my students share with me while I try to be mindful of their needs. I feel that they appreciate and value it. However, I still always regret not being able to give more to those who need it.

Q. From a personal perspective, how do you feel the educational system has evolved and changed since you first started teaching and why do you think that is?

Unfortunately, the evolution of our educational system in the last 25 years is little or not enough. The reason is that the different governments that Spain has had in these years have made Education a political reason and approved successive laws – 8 different ones in 25 years. In doing so, they have failed to consider whether or not they enjoyed support from the entire political spectrum, rather focusing only on the political value of it. The result is that each party has approved a law tailored to its needs, which has been successively repealed when a party with a different ideology comes to government.

This situation has created great instability in the Spanish educational systems and has prompted some changes with no follow-up. Spain urgently needs an Educational law of general and permanent consensus, although subject to small variations.

Q. Any thoughts, comments or messages you would like to share as a teacher.

As a teacher, I say that the only way to survive on a day-to-day basis is the love for this profession and dedication to your students, and you must put aside the obstacles that grow every day because otherwise demotivation and helplessness will dig in us.

UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON EXTREME POVERTY AND HUMAN RIGHTS

All of the aforementioned concerns – and some more – were crystallized into the report by the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, written during his visit to Spain.[12]

The UN Rapporteur starts by saying that “education and poverty are closely linked”. Indeed, the socioeconomic resources of a family dictate the schools they have access to, and the public schools grow overflooded with low income and immigrant students, whose education cannot be ensured at the level that should be.

This is also due to the lack of public investment in education, which despite being free, shows a reality in which its crucial role does not match the resources thereby attributed.[13] The UN Rapporteur correctly concludes that “school segregation increases grade repetition, failure and dropouts, decreases assessment scores and adversely affects students’ expectations of pursuing university studies”. Finally, the education section rescues a quote from a Save the Children report from 2018, which reads: “concentrating children from the poorest backgrounds in the same schools is no recipe for educational success or overcoming poverty”.[14]

UN Special Rapporteur Philip Alston in Spain. Picture by Olivier de Schutter (2020)

CONCLUSION

Examining Spain’s educational system, it has become apparent that it presents several flaws. First, not only is the curriculum outdated, but it also fails in motivating the students and in preventing – or at least mitigating – the elevated school dropout rates. Second, Spanish schools do not cater to the needs of the population: not every school has the same resources and not every person can afford to attend any school. Instead of correcting this trend, in the last years it has been exacerbated, making schools a mirror of the social status of the students and their backgrounds. This effectively prevents a system based on equal opportunities.

Additionally, those in charge of actually providing the education are not motivated enough. The stability of their jobs is not ensured, and the lack of resources or their inadequate distribution prevents the teachers from giving individualised attention to the students. This overall contributes to a general environment of apathy which has an impact on both ends (students and teachers). Lastly, as long as education continues being a tool of politics, adjustable to the ideologies of the dominant political party, it will remain as a subdued element instead of a priority, and Spain will continue to suffer from low quality education and the inability to achieve efficient results.

References

Adreçant la Crisis Silenciosa: Broken Chalk Demana el Reconeixement de la Violència envers les Dones i Nenes i els seus Impactes en l’Àmbit Educatiu

25 de Novembre del 2023

En un món en què una de cada tres dones arreu del món ha patit violència física o sexual; on, cada hora, cinc dones són assassinades per un membre familiar i on les dades evidencien que l’assetjament i violència sexual són fets generalitzats, és d’extrema importància que la comunitat global actuï. Broken Chalk reconeix la urgència d’adreçar la generalització de la violència masclista, que també es veu reflectida en l’àmbit educatiu, on l’assetjament i la violència sexual són una realitat. A més, les nenes arreu del món sovint troben obstacles per accedir a l’educació a conseqüència del matrimoni infantil, la violència domèstica, o la violència que pateixen de camí cap a l’escola.

Havent empitjorat amb la pandèmia de la COVID-19, els efectes socioeconòmics del canvi climàtic, la crisi econòmica i la inestabilitat política, la violència té un efecte directe en la seva educació, impedint la realització dels seus drets fonamentals. El risc de patir violència també descoratja als pares d’enviar les filles a l’escola, sobre tot en situacions de conflicte, on durant el trajecte a l’escola pateixen per la possibilitat de que puguin ser assetjades i abduïdes. També s’ha demostrat empíricament que víctimes d’abús són més propenses a l’abandonament escolar i a mostrar dificultats pedagògiques. Això posa en risc la igualtat de gènere, la independència i l’empoderament de futures generacions de dones.

Davant d’aquest escenari, és esquinçador observar el fet que només un 0,2% de l’Assistència Global al Desenvolupament va dirigit a la prevenció de la violència de gènere. És per aquest motiu que Broken Chalk reconeix l’impacte profund de la violència envers les dones i nenes, que va més enllà del dany físic i afecta els fonaments de la societat, posant en risc el desenvolupament igualitari i la pau.

La violència envers les dones i nenes té un cost social en general, i en concret en l’educació de les nenes. És per això que és una prioritat en l’àmbit educatiu. En primer lloc, s’ha demostrat que l’exposició a la violència domèstica i violència de gènere té efectes negatius en els resultats acadèmics dels infants, així com el desenvolupament del seu comportament. De fet, UNICEF relaciona la violència domèstica amb nivells més baixos d’aptituds numèriques en les edats dels 5 als 8 anys. En segon lloc, la violència envers les dones és un dels motius pels quals les nenes no poden accedir a l’educació: arreu del món, 129 milió de nenes no van a l’escola. La manca de seguretat a les escoles o l’estigma social després de patir violència sexual són dos dels motius. Les nenes i les dones que pateixen violència psicològica també poden patir abandonament escolar per la coerció i l’abús exercit sobre elles.

Broken Chalk també reconeix la generalització de l’assetjament com a forma de violència envers les dones. A la Unió Europea, entre el 45 i el 55%  de les dones n’han patit des dels 15 anys. A Anglaterra i Gal·les, un estudi del 2021 va revelar que el 92% de nenes i noies estudiants afirmaven haver rebut insults sexistes per part de companys de classe, i el 61% d’estudiants femenines deien haver patit violència sexual per part dels seus companys a l’escola. La potencial amenaça de patir violència a l’escola o de camí cap a l’escola desmotiva les nenes d’anar-hi, per la seva pròpia seguretat. A països com Ghana i l’Índia, s’està experimentant amb programes que donen bicicletes a les nenes perquè tinguin un mitjà de transport segur per anar cap a classe.

Tot i que s’ha avançat en la lluita contra la violència masclista, els fets exposats demostren que encara cal invertir en més mesures. Broken Chalk defensa que l’educació és crucial per eliminar la violència envers les dones i les nenes, ja que els estudis demostren que és precisament en l’àmbit educatiu on els infants estan exposats a la violència i l’aprenen. D’aquesta manera, l’educació pot ensenyar i conscienciar sobre què és la violència. La violència envers les dones és un fenomen tan generalitzat que sovint qui en pateix no se n’adona que no és una situació normal. Això explica, només en part, perquè menys de 40% de dones que pateixen violència demanen ajuda o ho denuncien.

És per aquest motiu que Broken Chalk s’uneix als 16 Dies d’Activisme envers la violència de gènere, una campanya internacional celebrada anualment des del 25 de Novembre, com a motiu del Dia Internacional de l’Eliminació de la Violència envers les Dones, fins al 10 de Desembre, que celebra el Dia Internacional dels Drets Humans. Sota el tema d’enguany “UNITE! Invest to prevent violence against women and girls” (invertir per prevenir la violència envers les dones i les nenes), Broken Chalk s’uneix a la demanda d’inversió urgent per prevenir aquesta violència, amb un focus especial en el rol de l’educació. A més, Broken Chalk demana una perspectiva interseccional en la lluita contra la violència envers les dones, especialment per entendre les dificultats afegides a les experiències de dones racialitzades i dones LGBTI tant en contexts educatius com en el seu dia a dia.

Broken Chalk ho anuncia al públic amb el degut respecte.

Signat,

Broken Chalk Traduït per Maria Tapias Serrano a partir del comunicat original en anglès.