Multiple Choice Failure
Every new government has tweaked the education system in some way, mostly to reflect their ideological convictions. Because, none of the tweaks have actually done much to improve education in this country. Today, in Galicia, university students and secondary school students have been called to strike, protesting against the law and against the cutbacks which are condemning a generation of young people to a mediocre education.
This coming month one of the aspects of the new law will come into effect. Sixth and third graders will have to take a nation-wide exam. It's not meant to affect their grades or promotion to the next grade. The promotors of the law intend those exams to show how well the students are doing for their age and grade, and which schools do the best jobs. The better schools will get more funding, and the slower schools will be admonished.
I always thought a primary school teacher was the best-placed professional to know how a child is doing in school. Are they not professionals? And it would seem that the school needing the most funding would be that which gives poor results. But is a national exam really necessary to determine which schools are best? Around here, everyone knows which school has the better-taught students. There is no need for an exam. Having a national exam for which to prepare students means taking time away from other activities that would help our children much better in many more different ways.
Two other exams which have not yet been put into effect are at the end of compulsory secondary education, and the end of the preparatory secondary education. Both will count on a student's record. Every student must pass the majority of their subjects and the exam, to receive their diplomas and continue their education. Each exam will cover the learning of three years. If a student passes his subjects, yet fails the exam, he will still not get his diploma. In fact, he will have to wait a year until doing the exam again. And, since he passed his subjects, he cannot attend classes. So, the student has to study all the material at home. Good luck to those who get nervous at such an event.
At the university level, the change comes in the amount of time dedicated to undergraduate study and masters. The intention of the new law is to reduce undergraduate learning from four years to three, and to increase study of a masters from one year to two. So, university students will be forced to study a masters to learn their major decently. The problem there is monetary. An undergraduate degree is heavily subsidized in Spain. Most students also get government scholarships, so they don't pay tuition, and most of their expenses are covered. But masters degrees are not covered. And, while they may not be as expensive as in the United States, they can still reach thousands of euros. Many families can't afford that.
These last two changes, the years of undergraduate degree and the exams in secondary, seem geared toward making it more difficult for those who cannot pay for private schools. Public school classes have been massified through cutbacks, making it more difficult to teach all the students well. Private schools have kept their class size, and offer after-school tutoring, preparing their students well toward any exams the Ministry of Education may demand. Parents with good incomes can pay for their children's masters degrees. It seems this new education law is meant to help the working class stay poor, and the elite stay elite.
And so, today, the strike in secondary and university education has been convoked. There will be a protest in Santiago de Compostela, (yes, my daughter will be there) and I assume in some other cities, as well. It's only on the regional level, but the law affects all the regions. Some regions have said they will not implement it, and the temporary government in Madrid is trying to get rid of the most controversial aspects. Still, it is now affecting students who will some day finish their education without learning more than what was on the test, just so a computer in Madrid can decide which public schools get more money or less.
This coming month one of the aspects of the new law will come into effect. Sixth and third graders will have to take a nation-wide exam. It's not meant to affect their grades or promotion to the next grade. The promotors of the law intend those exams to show how well the students are doing for their age and grade, and which schools do the best jobs. The better schools will get more funding, and the slower schools will be admonished.
I always thought a primary school teacher was the best-placed professional to know how a child is doing in school. Are they not professionals? And it would seem that the school needing the most funding would be that which gives poor results. But is a national exam really necessary to determine which schools are best? Around here, everyone knows which school has the better-taught students. There is no need for an exam. Having a national exam for which to prepare students means taking time away from other activities that would help our children much better in many more different ways.
Two other exams which have not yet been put into effect are at the end of compulsory secondary education, and the end of the preparatory secondary education. Both will count on a student's record. Every student must pass the majority of their subjects and the exam, to receive their diplomas and continue their education. Each exam will cover the learning of three years. If a student passes his subjects, yet fails the exam, he will still not get his diploma. In fact, he will have to wait a year until doing the exam again. And, since he passed his subjects, he cannot attend classes. So, the student has to study all the material at home. Good luck to those who get nervous at such an event.
At the university level, the change comes in the amount of time dedicated to undergraduate study and masters. The intention of the new law is to reduce undergraduate learning from four years to three, and to increase study of a masters from one year to two. So, university students will be forced to study a masters to learn their major decently. The problem there is monetary. An undergraduate degree is heavily subsidized in Spain. Most students also get government scholarships, so they don't pay tuition, and most of their expenses are covered. But masters degrees are not covered. And, while they may not be as expensive as in the United States, they can still reach thousands of euros. Many families can't afford that.
These last two changes, the years of undergraduate degree and the exams in secondary, seem geared toward making it more difficult for those who cannot pay for private schools. Public school classes have been massified through cutbacks, making it more difficult to teach all the students well. Private schools have kept their class size, and offer after-school tutoring, preparing their students well toward any exams the Ministry of Education may demand. Parents with good incomes can pay for their children's masters degrees. It seems this new education law is meant to help the working class stay poor, and the elite stay elite.
And so, today, the strike in secondary and university education has been convoked. There will be a protest in Santiago de Compostela, (yes, my daughter will be there) and I assume in some other cities, as well. It's only on the regional level, but the law affects all the regions. Some regions have said they will not implement it, and the temporary government in Madrid is trying to get rid of the most controversial aspects. Still, it is now affecting students who will some day finish their education without learning more than what was on the test, just so a computer in Madrid can decide which public schools get more money or less.
You were so lucky to go to BLS. I was so lucky to have a kid go there.
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