This interview has been posted by Klitto Eus and we have brought it thanks to the Creative Commons license.

How is machismo dismantled from the classroom?

It is deconstructed with co-education; bringing feminism to the classrooms and working with equality in a transversal way in all subjects, in all spaces, in the organization of centers… when it corresponds to the educational community. It's actually as simple as complying with the law. Because in the Spanish state we have several organic laws that force us to work equality in classrooms.

How do we work the lessons from a feminist perspective?

In all subjects there are themes that can be worked transversally from the feminist point of view. This is how equality between women and men is worked. It is important to take into account some co-education keys and apply them to all subjects: to enhance the visibility of women and to value the contributions made in all areas; to use the inclusive use of language; to strengthen egalitarian masculinities and empowered feminities; to fight LGTBphobia; to learn to resolve conflicts peacefully; to radicalize gender stereotypes; to work personal autonomy from equality; to promote attitudes against co-education; to support conflict

What are the consequences of not incorporating a feminist perspective?

The consequences of not incorporating the feminist perspective are seen daily in the classrooms, in the street, in the news… We live in a male society: in a society that allows the members of the herd to be on the street; in a society that allows the wage gap; in a society where there is a lack of equality and glass ceiling. It has to be borne in mind that all the people who go through our streets have gone through the education system, so it is an important educational system to consolidate equality. It is not a job that can be done overnight, it is a work that takes time, but that will bear fruit in the future. It is worth working for a better and equal society.

Do you think everyone is able to educate on equality?

The first thing you need to educate on equality is training, you need that equality to occur within yourself. When a person is egalitarian, he transmits and, therefore, educates on equality. Therefore, not everyone can educate on equality, because some have machist ideology and what they transmit is inequality and discrimination. Centers with ideas based on exclusion will never be able to educate on equality, as no racist can educate on justice and inclusion.

How can we achieve teacher awareness?

Training is necessary to ensure the participation of teachers. It is known that education changes the view of teachers, that is, the problem of teachers who do not educate on equality is not that they are male in their entirety, but that they have never reflected on it. Therefore, the most important thing to work against discrimination is identification, and that is what is done through training. There are many teachers who have been trained in co-education and almost all have been helped to change their minds. It is these teachers who are doing great work for equality. The key is training, training and training. It is a pity that this training is not taught from the beginning, from the university. In this way, they should not sacrifice their spare time later.

What are the responsibilities of senior education politicians?

They have a responsibility to make laws, to create standards, to supervise and educate teachers. Everything is within your power to make equality a priority in education. Not only to put puppies and to assimilate them into equality, but to put equality of truth in the head of education.

The problem is that many senior officials also need training and awareness-raising, like everyone else. All charges are people with their weights, their vital experiences and their gender backpacks. That's why it's important for people with a gender perspective to reach senior positions in education, and you need someone to guide you from co-education offices. In this way, it will have all the strategies and means to bring co-education in daily life to the classrooms of all schools, in a systematic and global way.

How do they influence co-education, for example, family and leisure time?

The socialization of people is very varied, that is, they touch many areas of education. It is one of the most important families, as it is the first point of socialization for most families. However, the family is not legally obliged to educate on equality and students have the right to be educated on equal terms, even if their family is sexist. The ideal would be to reach a collaboration between the family and the school, reinforcing at home the work of the school. As for leisure, it is a question of putting everyone on an equal footing, so that, even if there are discriminatory elements in their daily lives, it is clear what sexism is. That is, the key is to analyze reality from a gender perspective, and thus learn to socialize it critically.

You mentioned earlier that it is mandatory to promote equality in classrooms.

Yes, it is compulsory, the law obliges us. What is missing is the courage of policy makers to enforce the law in its entirety. The Skolae programme of Navarra is a clear example, it is a compulsory programme, with training, resources, materials and strategies. Skolae is a clear example of what can be educated on equality, but to do so, the most reactionary part of society must be tackled. And that is, in exchange for equality, they're afraid to lose their privileges. The sensationalist press has also given them a voice, over and above our calm and serious work. We have such a society, it prefers the cries to professionalism. Those responsible for education have the law in their favour, it is not a question of coercion, but of not being illegal.

The Basque Government has presented the 2nd Social Security Shock Plan, presented a few months ago. Malen Aldalur wrote a report on the Argia Co-Education Plan. For this report he interviewed Marian Moreno, an expert in co-education issues, and now Moreno collects in Klitto! some of the issues that Moreno mentioned in the interview.

This interview has been posted by Klitto Eus and we have brought it thanks to the Creative Commons license.