As a consequence of the drop in the birth rate, between 2013 and 2037 the Spanish educational system will go from absorbing 7.5 million schoolchildren (kindergarten, primary and secondary) to 6.5 million. In his latest report, EsadeEcPol researchers They ask the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training to start a debate on how to confront the demographic decline and demand that communities – they all have educational competencies – take action now. Close schools It is something that no one likes. But it is not the only measure that is on the table. There are more and less traumatic. These are some proposals.
Reducing the student-teacher ratio (something that requires a legislative change) as the decline in student numbers progresses is one of the first solutions already pointed out by several experts and certified in the Esade report. This is an initiative easier to carry out in primary schooladding one more line (one more class) per course, something that has already been done during the pandemic of coronavirus. In ESO, meanwhile, the measure could be taken only in the subjects with the greatest teaching load.
The reduction of ratios has benefits in the quality of education and is one of the measures to which in Catalonia the Department of Education has committed itself. It has started in Preschool-3, where the ratio is 20 students per classroom, and its intention is to extend this decrease in ratios progressively in the rest of the educational stages.
More time at school
The international report ‘Education Outlook 2023’, published by the OECD this week, warns that the number of teaching hours of primary education in Spain (792) is 55 hours higher than the EU average and 12 hours lower than the OECD average. However, for the first stage of secondary education (which includes up to 3rd year of ESO) international values are significantly exceeded. Spanish students receive 1,057 hours per yeara figure that is 181 hours more than the EU average and 141 hours more than the OECD average.
The Esade study speaks of “extend time at school” as a measure to alleviate the drop in students. These are not so much teaching hours but rather pedagogical hours (orientation, for example, or other types of non-teaching subjects) and care. Reinforcement programs, explain Esade researchers Lucas Gortazar and Jorge Galindo, are especially effective with socially and educationally disadvantaged students. The offer could include specialized and extracurricular tutoring.
Improve teaching conditions
Enric Pratsvice dean of the Faculty of Education at the University of Barcelona (UB), already warned in EL PERIÓDICO that the decrease in students should never be accompanied by a budget reduction to reduce teacher staff. Along the same lines, the Esade study makes it clear that the demographic decline is combated with a improvement of teachers’ working conditions (the interim rate is close to 30%), as well as with a policy aimed at extending the time spent in school and a teacher evaluation system. Co-decency, according to experts, is another necessary measure. “We must overcome the ‘egg classroom’ model: a classroom, a teacher, a group of students, an hour. To do this, it is necessary to promote collaboration between teachersyes,” explains Gortazar.
Bet on education 0-3 years and FP
Bet on the education 0-3 years -as well as vocational training once secondary school is completed- are other solutions included in the Esade report. The students who participate in “high-quality early childhood education” is more likely to obtain better educational results in the future, explains the OECD in its international report. “This is especially relevant for boys and girls from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds, as they often have fewer opportunities to develop these skills at home,” he adds.
Despite the benefits of early childhood education in the first years of life, the schooling of boys and girls under 3 years of age It is not mandatory in any OECD country. The school enrollment rate of boys and girls under two years of age in Spain is 24.7% (the OECD average is 18%) and that of 2-year-old students is 56%, higher than the OECD average. OECD (43.0%) but far from countries such as Norway (94%), Sweden (92%) and Finland (71%).
Promoting FP (something that has been done in recent years in Spain) is directly associated with a reduction in the unemployment rate. When a person with a basic educational level improves their training by obtaining a vocational training degree, the probability of unemployment decreases by 26% in Spain.
Concentrating students with the same characteristics in a single center is harmful for an educational system that aims to be balanced and provide the same opportunities to all. The Esade study gives as an example Catalonia in raising awareness and making decisions against school segregation, rebalancing the social composition of schools.