Pilar Alegria (Zaragoza, 1977) assumed the helm of the Ministry of Education with the challenge of developing the new educational law and approving the one on Vocational Training. This week he visited the Balearic Islands and announced that in 2022 the State will invest in the Archipelago more than 90 million euros.
The Vocational Training law is already in Congress and the Balearic Islands are leading the creation of new public places. Because it is important?
—We must address a fundamental question and that is that in this next decade more than 50% of the jobs that are going to be created will be aimed at medium technicians. I am not saying it, it is what the business fabric moves us.
Will the new FP take into account the Balearic business and socioeconomic reality?
—Of course, when implementing the new FP law, the autonomous communities will have the possibility of introducing the specific training that is needed in each territory. I fully understand that here in the Balearic Islands companies need profiles more linked to the health or tourism field, to give a few examples. In this sense, it is evident that the communities must be given margin, Education must be attached to the reality of each territory.
The Balearic Islands have one of the highest dropout rates in the State. Have you planned measures to alleviate it?
—With the new VET law we want young people to have easy and fast access to a stable and well-paid job. I am convinced that the new degrees, closely linked to new technologies and digitization, will be attractive. Also its eminently practical nature, which will make companies become an extension of training centers.
The Archipelago is one of the few territories whose school population grows every year. How can the Balearic Islands cope with this continued increase?
—This circumstance is still positive and must be addressed through an economic effort. For this reason, the General Budgets will allocate a little more than 90 million to the Balearic Islands, which will be distributed among all the educational stages.
Early Childhood Education is basic for family conciliation. With what aid and contributions from the State will the Balearic Islands count on in this regard?
—The Government has made a very important effort and so will the Government of Spain. A little more than 650 million will be invested throughout the country and in the case of the Balearic Islands we would be talking about more than 7 million euros for new places from 0 to 3 years during 2022.
Can the new educational law guarantee that Catalan will continue to be the vehicular language compared to those who believe that promoting the use of the island’s own language is attacking Spanish?
“Why oppose the two languages?” Languages are one of our riches and this is reflected in the new educational law. Our students, when they finish basic education, must have fully acquired the skills both in Spanish and in the co-official language. And if any type of insufficiency is detected on the part of the educational administrations, resources must be put in place to alleviate this issue. It seems to me that it is perfectly reflected in the educational law and I know that the Balearic law goes in the same direction. I trust that a good consensus will be reached on this and that it will last as long as possible.
The new education law, the LOMLOE, is the eighth Education law. Is a political consensus far off in the field of Education?
—I think that when we talk about an issue as fundamental for the construction of a society as education is, we should all do an exercise in serenity. It is true that it would have been desirable to be able to reach a State pact for Education. But just because it wasn’t possible in the past doesn’t mean you don’t have to keep trying. I will continue working to achieve agreements, even if they are small in the decrees that we now have to approve or in the Vocational Training law.
The Balearic Islands have implemented the subject of Islamic Religion. Should Religion subjects continue in public education?
—Not only the Balearic Islands teach the subject. Today there are already more than ten communities that offer this possibility. The decision derives from a law from 1992. When there is a sufficient demand from families requesting and requesting this type of education, the administrations have to transfer it in compliance with the law. If we focus on religious teaching, there have been changes. Unlike what happened in the times of the Popular Party, in the new educational law religious subjects, although they continue to be taught during school hours, no longer count from the point of view of the academic record or for scholarships or to promote the course.
The new law provides for profound changes in all cycles of education. What they owe?
—The director of the PISA program makes it very clear when he affirms that the Spanish system is training students for a country that no longer exists. Memorizing concepts is not enough. The challenge is to be able to connect these contents in order to solve a real problem. It is a change of model that will make the student much more involved and that will require an effort. An effort that will also be required of teachers in this country.
Thousands of families ask for an end to masks in educational centers. What conditions must be met for this to be possible?
—We have practically 100% of the classrooms in our country open, children are enjoying the right to education in a safe way. Remember that children under 12 are not vaccinated. The regulations indicate that in open spaces you must wear a mask when the safety distance cannot be guaranteed. If tomorrow the health authorities consider that it is necessary to make more flexible, it will be done. But prudence and coordination seem fundamental to me, we must continue on that path.
The pandemic has put digitization processes at the forefront. Will its promotion imply reducing presence?
—With the health crisis, the educational system has managed to make a virtue of necessity. We learned that you can get a lot more out of that digital education with online classes. For this reason, the Ministry of Education dedicates just over a billion euros to digitization, with items destined for teacher training or the purchase of new devices. But the pandemic also made it very clear that presence is irreplaceable. Boys and girls need to go to their schools, share their time with their peers or be close to their teachers. This course we bet on presence, the mental and emotional health of the students was at stake. It is the reason why this course we abandoned the distance classes that marked last year.
– .
