Spain's education system has undergone much change in the past several decades. Since the end of Francisco Franco's rule of Spain in 1975, the Spanish education system has improved a lot in order to foster to the needs of children.
Education Under Franco
When Franco ruled Spain from 1936 to 1975, its levels of education and enrollment were far behind the rest of Western Europe, especially France and Italy. There was a lack of classroom space in public schools, which was the major cause for Spain's low enrollment rates. Public education under Franco's rule made it mandatory for children to attend school from ages six to thirteen. Since children had to begin attending school when they reached the age of six, there were enough classrooms for six year olds, but the amount of classrooms available decreased as one moved up in age, causing decreased enrollment as children got older during this time period. School attendance was not mandatory past primary school, so there were very few public secondary schools, another cause for decreased enrollment and low levels of education. Little or nothing was done to improve the education system until Franco no longer ruled Spain and it became a democratic nation.
When Spain became a democratic nation after the end of Franco's rule in 1975, children began to be more recognized as important individuals within Spanish society. Upon becoming a democratic nation, Spain began to seek advancements in order to modernize and catch up with other progressive countries. As a democracy, it believes in recognizing the rights of individuals, including those of children. In order to advance, Spain realized that its children are the future of its society and it therefore must improve the status of children. It mainly did this through improving the preschool system in Spain, which up until this point had merely existed as a place for child supervision for working mothers. Spaniards began to realize that preschool is not only a time for education, but it is a bridge from family to the rest of the world. Preschool began to be seen as a place for children to learn to recognize their own needs and to express themselves.
Diversity of Children's Experiences in School
Since the end of Franco's rule of Spain, the gap between the school experiences of children from different social classes has lessened. When the public school system lacked classroom space, few lower and middle class children could make it far in school and receive a good education. Upper class children could attend school longer than children of lower classes, since they could afford a private education when public schools were lacking in classroom space. This caused for many differences between not only education levels, but also experiences of children of different social classes. Upper class children not only had the opportunity to receive a better education than children of lower classes, but they had more social and developmental experiences. This diversity of experiences was lessened when, under democracy, Spain's education system was improved and made more available to those of all social classes.
Educational Statistics as a Sign of Improvement
-In 1967, only 3 out of every 100 students who started primary school would continue all the way through to university studies.
-Preschool expenditures increased from 3.4% of Spain's GDP in 1975 to 4.7% in 1997.
-As of 1999, 67% of 3 year olds attended preschool, 99% of 4 year olds attended, and 100% of 5 year olds were attending preschool, although only 2.5% of children under the age of 2 were attending preschool.
-In 2002,
Spain's literacy rate was 97.8% of those ages 15 were literate.
References:
Horowitz, Morris A. 1974. Manpower and Education in
Franco Spain. Hamden, CT: The Shoe String Press, Inc.
Odina, Teresa Aguado. 1993. "Provision for Preschool Children in
Spain." Pp. 93-111 in Educational Provision for our Youngest
Children: European Perspectives, edited by Tricia David. London: Paul
Chapman Publishing Ltd.
Valiente, Celia. 2001. "Do
Political Parties Matter? Do Spanish Parties Make a Difference in
Child-Care Policies?" Pp. 97-114.
Promoting
Evidence-Based
Practice in Early Childhood Education: Research and Its Implications,
edited by Tricia David. Amsterdam: JAI.
______.
2002. "The Value of an Educational Emphasis: Child Care and Restructuring
in Spain since 1975." Pp. 57-70 in Child Care
Policies at the
Crossroads: Gender and Welfare State Restructuring, edited by Sonya
Michel and Rianne Mahon. New York: Routledge.
______. 2003. "Central State Child Care Policies in Postauthoritarian
Spain: Implications for Gender and Carework Arrangements." Gender &
Society 17:287-292.
This website was designed and composed by Joanna Cross-Call, Chana Lewis, and Lauren McBride. It was created to provide web users with information on the status of children in Spain. This is part of a collaborative web project for the first year writing seminar Children and Society, at Tulane University taught by Professor April Brayfield.