This cannot be done. The project of the Department of Education of the Community of Madrid to return the 1st and 2nd years of ESO to schools goes against educational law, in particular what is stipulated in Royal Decree 132/2010 , of February 12, which establishes the conditions for which secondary schools must meet. Concretely, article 13.2 specifies: “In secondary education centers which provide compulsory secondary education, the four courses which make up this educational cycle must be provided, subject to the academic regulations in force.
The Ministry of Education avoids commenting on possible actions, because at the moment the Madrid project is just that, a project that is not reflected anywhere beyond declarations of intent, and therefore there is no has no concrete element to resort to. But he remains vigilant, because the Community of Madrid has publicly announced its intention to make this change next year.
The president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, announced during the last debate on the state of the region two educational developments: the return of primary schools to split days – in the Community of Madrid, the usual is the continuous – and the return of the 1st and 2nd years of ESO to schools. In the old BUP and COU system, secondary school – and therefore the change of center – began in the current 3rd year of ESO, with students aged 14 or 15.
The idea is to proceed with a sort of generalization of CEIPSO (Early Childhood School, Compulsory Primary and Secondary Education), a rare center model designed for exceptional situations, such as rural education, where it is more difficult to bring students together for all the stages.
We would later learn that, as is usual in the Ayuso government, both decisions were taken without consulting the educational community. Neither the unions, nor the directors’ associations, nor the families, nor the School Council, which brings together all the parties, were questioned. The return to the split day has been received positively, at least by those concerned: even if it is not decisive and goes against the personal experience of many teachers and certain families, the existing literature tends to defend that educationally, it is better to take a break at noon. .
The change in organizational structure did not suffer the same fate. The president explained at the time that these two measures are being taken because “they will help to fight against dropping out of school, to improve the performance of students, their rest or their eating habits, as well as to fight against loneliness , addictions or the possible influence of youth gangs”, the same message, literally word for word, that the advisor, Emilio Viciana, transmitted last Tuesday when he explained that the feasibility of certain centers was “up to study” to implement them from next year. Union sources explain to this newspaper that negotiations are already underway with certain specific schools.
Widespread opposition
Without needing to go into the details of the law, opposition to this measure comes to Ayuso from the unions, from the main association of secondary school directors of the Community of Madrid, from basic teachers or from the university. It is not necessary, no one is asking for it, it attacks a problem that does not exist and will not solve the real ones and will also generate organizational problems, some and others warn. Only the FAPA Giner de los Ríos, which brings together AMPAs from the entire region, is open “depending on the details”, explains María Carmen Morillas, its president. The problem is that at the moment there are few details.
“The inclusion of the first two ESO courses in CEIP (schools) has not been and is not a request from families or professionals, and to announce it like this, without any real debate and important with the people concerned, is a sign of what “To the extent that the Community of Madrid does not act by listening but by imposing”, they explain from the Less Lectivas Assembly, which brings together basic teachers from all over the region. “The ministry seeks to make noise instead of responding to the real demands of the educational community, such as the reduction of real ratios, teaching hours or resources for attention to diversity, as well as the end of segregation educational”, they add.
There are problems in 1st and 2nd. But will this be solved by leaving them in schools? I doubt it. Other measures must be proposed. We need teachers with more advanced educational training to adequately serve these students.
Rosa Rocha
— President of Adimad (association of directors of public institutes in Madrid)
This criticism is shared. “There are problems in the 1st and 2nd years,” concedes Rosa Rocha, president of Adimad, the association of public school directors in Madrid. “There are students, especially with a certain profile, who encounter difficulties. The change of scene [de Primaria a Secundaria] It’s complicated and there are those who get bored, who don’t want to be there, become disruptive and eventually quit. But will this be solved by leaving them in schools? I doubt it. Other measures must be proposed. We need teachers with more advanced educational training to adequately serve these students. We are not talking about ratios or support for diversity. “I think it’s an idea of the councilor’s advisers,” he muses.
A similar speech is given by Isabel Galvín, president of the CCOO educational federation in Madrid. “This issue is not relevant in international investigations, no experts focus on this issue. Ratios, class schedules, cafeterias, attention to diversity, co-tutoring, student profiles… This is where the focus is on solving the problems of the education system,” he reflects. “Are there problems of coexistence in the centers? There is the figure of the well-being coordinator, but we need to hire teachers to reinforce it. You could also reduce the student-to-advisor ratio, which is 1,500 when the recommendation is 250. Are you worried about leaving early? “Let the figure of mentors become widespread”, suggests solutions. But be careful, these solutions require money. More than enabling classrooms. “But without additional measures, without economic memory, it’s like moving furniture from one place to another.”
If we return to the previous situation, the quality of workers’ working conditions will indeed deteriorate, since we will move from secondary school teachers to primary school teachers, with worse salaries and working conditions.
Teaching hands
For the president of the main community union, “Ayuso encourages the fear of families” of seeing their children go to high school at 12 years old, where those in high school, aged 17, share spaces “This goes back to the 80s”. she maintains. Rocha, the high school director, reverses the debate: “What will happen when these 13 and 14 year old boys find themselves with the school children? » she asks.
Who teaches?
There is also the melon of teachers who will take these secondary courses in primary schools. On the one hand, CEIP teachers have not been able to teach at ESO for a long time with very rare exceptions more linked to the world of orientation and attention to diversity, they should therefore be secondary school teachers.
But with these, another problem arises, in this case of timetables: subjects with many hours per week, such as mathematics and languages, can be taught by full-time teachers. But in others, like music or technology, there aren’t enough hours per week to fill an entire day, which will require either having part-time teachers or traveling specialists who go from center to center.
Ayuso encourages fear among families. It’s a throwback to the 80s
Isabelle Galvin
— head of the CCOO educational federation in Madrid
Or, even worse, says Menos Lectivas, that they plan to return to teachers who teach at the high school. “If we return to the previous situation, the quality of workers’ working conditions will indeed deteriorate, since we will move from secondary school teachers to primary school teachers, with worse salaries and working conditions,” they say. “Teachers have a huge uneasiness,” says Galvín, who predicts that if this change ultimately comes to pass, it will be based on teachers traveling from one school to another.
For its part, the UGT threatens to go to court if the integration of 1st and 2nd ESO courses in public nursery and primary schools is successful. In a statement, the union said it was studying “whether the Articles 4 and 24 of the LOMLOE could be violated.
The argument of the Community of Madrid is that there are already around forty centers that together offer the infant, primary and secondary levels, known as CEIPSO, but that only around ten limit the added courses until the second year of ESO, according to ESO sources. the Ministry of Education. The UGT explains that these have been opened “temporarily” and that “it is assumed that they will also implement the 3rd and 4th ESO”, so their situation is legally valid.
Where are the facilities?
In addition to the general limitation established by Royal Decree 132/2010, those who oppose the change put forward other legal arguments against it. For example, regarding the facilities that an institute must have, in addition to the physical space for classes. They are established in the same RD, which says in its article 14 what each center must have: “For each 12 units or fractions, a workshop room for technologies and two classrooms for activities related to music subjects and plastic and visual education. respectively; At least one experimental science laboratory for 12 units or fractions; One space every eight units for group distribution and another for educational support and reinforcement activities.
All this will have to be created in schools passing the 1st and 2nd ESO, because the CEIPs do not have these facilities. “The lack of adequate infrastructure (laboratories, technological workshop, computer rooms, etc.) could compromise the optimal development of courses in certain subjects,” recalls Menos Lectivas.
Teachers are ready to fight it. The Less Lectivas assembly announces two days of struggle on October 29 and November 21. “They will impose it, so there will be resignations and demands,” predicts Galvín. “Ultimately, the courts will overturn this decision and those affected will have suffered irreparable harm.”
