Tsunami, 13, 14 & 15. Not a Commoner

It came out last week that the Princess Leonor will receive her last two years of high school education at a boarding school in Wales. They are the equivalent of sixth form in Britain, junior and senior years in the US, and the bachillerato in Spain. The total cost for the two years comes out to over €70,000, which will be paid out of the yearly asignation given to the Royal House out of the national budget. We commoners will be paying for her education.

At the school, the UWC Atlantic College, she will study the coursework of the International Baccalaureate (IB), as well as participate in community workshops. She will live in a thirteenth century castle and its grounds, in what looks like a version of Hogwart's, along with over three hundred other children. Some of them are there on scholarships, others on family bank accounts. The daughter of the King of Jordan studied there, as did King Wilhelm of the Netherlands. 

As a journalist said on television the other day, all parents in Spain can choose where to send their children to school. But this isn't just any child. This is the future representative of Spain and the Spanish people. Until now, she and her sister have attended a private school near the palace. That her parents want the best for her is natural, but there are schools in Madrid that participate in the IB program. In Galicia, there's only one, the IES Rosalía de Castro, which is in Santiago and is public. I know, because that's where my daughter finished high school in the IB program.

This program teaches students to develop critical thinking. It was one of the reasons I wanted our daughter to enter it. Learning in Spain, whether at public or private schools, is mostly rote learning. Memorize these facts. Spit them out on the exam. There is no emphasis on understanding a subject and incorporating that learning into the student's every day life. The IB program does that. It's not taught at all schools; in our region of Galicia, there is only that one school that incorporates it. Luckily, it happened to be public, or we couldn't have afforded it. In other regions, it could be either a private or public school that is incorporated. It's not a program everyone knows about, and is usually kept quiet. I found out through a newspaper article years before I even got married.

Surely, as a gesture to Spaniards who have no other choice, the King could have made an example of his daughter by sending her to one of the public schools in Madrid that participate in this program. She would have gotten the same, good education. Then, four years at an excellent Spanish public university, and post-graduate studies in another country.

Of course, the best thing would be to have the entire family leave the country, and for Spain to become a republic, but, as long as they are supposed to represent us, one wonderful way would be to make use of public resources that are available to all Spaniards, royalty included. Though, if the intention is to have her make friendships of a certain caliber to create ties for future business (to continue in her grandfather's and paternal family's steps), then, yes, a boarding school in Wales sounds right.

The message the Royal Family is sending is that there's nothing here good enough for a person who is destined to be the head of state. So, by extension, all those who get their education in Spain are supposedly not as well educated as they should be. If that's the case, why isn't there an increase in spending on public education in this country, so that it reaches a par with other countries?

Why isn't the base of the IB program copied in public education? Why not teach students to understand what they learn? The program is not easy to enter; aside from the grades of the previous four years of higher education, there's an interview each student has to go through with the coordinator. There are only so many spots available each year, and many students who want to enter. But, if the public education system emphasizes critical and creative thinking, those who don't get in can still avail themselves of its influence.

Instead, the public system is left to decay slowly, while those who can afford it can attend private schools, or study abroad, and keep good programs like the IB quiet.

Life continues.