The ‘councillor’ of Education, Anna Simó, receives EL PERIÓDICO to talk about going back to school and pronounces, among other issues, on the timetable reform stuck in the institutes.
-Despite the fact that the calendar order says that ESO students have to do a minimum of two afternoon classes a week, 88% of Catalan institutes continue to do an intensive day. When will the time reform?
-A timetable reform that has not been applied anywhere. It has not been applied in everyday life, it has not been applied in companies… We have to move in parallel. That for one thing. On the other, there are some recommendations from the School Council of Catalonia that imply a change that will not be possible without establishing consensus that involves the unions and the local world, with regard to extracurricular activities in the 360 education approach. , an analysis of the social and pedagogical impact of the application of educational days in the centers is necessary.
“I am concerned about improving basic skills, segregation, machismo, bullying… there are many open fronts and they are all important”
-There is already a lot of literature that confirms the need to change adolescents’ schedules. In fact, the Department itself indicates this in the calendar order itself when it says that students cannot have more than three free afternoons; but that is not happening.
-For things to happen they cannot be improvised and they have to work well. An assessment must be made on a case-by-case basis. Before making any decision what I want to do an analysis of the social and pedagogical impact of the intensive day.
But that decision was already made. According to the current calendar order, secondary schools that have an intensive day should be an exception. Sometimes the public has the feeling that the Administration does not stop making diagnoses and studies on more diagnoses and studies.
-There is no consensus in the educational community that the split shift is better. And, therefore, what we have to do is an analysis of the impact of the intensive day. I have just entered, we are at the end of a legislature, and if I start a process I have to be able to close it.
“We will assess the need to introduce compulsory gender training for all teachers”
-Families and institutes are concerned about the rise of machismo among adolescents. Are you planning to make compulsory gender training for teachers, just as they are for digital skills?
-Today this training is voluntary. This course introduces the figure of co-education, coexistence and well-being coordinators. There will be one for each center. We will start their training in October. And the recommendation that they will make is the need for training in coeducation in the centers. At the end of the course we will make the assessment and we have agreed with the ‘councillor’ Verge who, depending on this balance, will assess the need or not to implement compulsory training.
-If I make you choose just one among all the folders you have on the table, what would it be? What is your priority for this course?
-I cannot choose a single priority. It is impossible. I have many topics and very diverse. From improving the results of basic skills to matching the needs of the students with the territorial needs in Vocational Training. In that we are advancing; This course there will be a new big change in FP. We will have a map of the FP in October and an analysis between October and November to be able to plan it much better. But I am also concerned about school segregation, racism, machismo, ‘bullying’… there are many open fronts and they are all important to me.
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-Finally, on October 26, 1978, 45 years ago, the first edition of EL PERIÓDICO opened with the news ‘Catalan schoolchildren will depend on Tarradellas’. The anniversary is shared, of the newspaper and of the political agreement to transfer powers in educational matters. How do you assess these years of Catalan management?
-In 45 years I could value many things, but let me single it out in the teachers and the directions. All the teachers and departments that in these 45 years have had to build, not from scratch, but almost, a learning system, to train critical citizens, and that contributes to alleviate starting inequalities between students. That is a triumph of the thousands of teachers and of the directions. We can never thank you enough.