The Preliminary Draft Law on Education, an opportunity for the future?
The signatories of this article are, in general, about forty associated fathers and mothers and former professional managers who participate actively in the different structures of the Federation of Ikastolas at the ikastolas of the territories of Euskal Herria and continue to work with the ikastolas. The historical characteristics of the Ikastola model, the defense and transmission of the Basque culture and the development of the social dimension of the Ikastolas, are our reference. These lines are working on the neighborhood work at some ikastolas. After the presentation, we will proceed to the analysis of the Preliminary Draft.
As for the social debate on the preliminary draft, we have been greatly concerned about the violent atmosphere that has occurred against the Ikastolas by a sector of agents and collectivities that bet on the Basque Public School. However, we are not going to enter into controversy, there we leave the issue, because we want to move our opinions and options in a pro-positive tone.
Given the breadth of the Preliminary Project, on this occasion we want to focus the reflection on a number of issues that are consistent with our nature, the autonomy of the centres and the role of the Municipal Councils. We will also analyse the Popular Line (Basque Country) from the point of view of management.
? Autonomy of the centers.- We start from our experience. Maintaining the citizenship of the ikastolas, we have created cooperatives of public utility of all peoples, parents and/or school community, non-profit, to ensure the development of our Educational Projects (pedagogy, administration, investments, labor issues,...) and transparent (our audited accounts are in the Register of Cooperatives), and we have jointly created Ikastolas del País Vasco, EHI, European Cooperative Society. Thanks to this trajectory we are responsible for our pedagogical and economic results.
All ikastolas grouped in EHI to a greater or lesser degree meet these characteristics. We certainly have a lot to improve, but the team input is there, the model of popular, community governance.
On the contrary, if we look at the governance system established in the CAPV, it can be said that it is centralist. The current one in Madrid moved to Vitoria and in 1993 became the Law for the Public School.
A 2017 European Commission report (1), which is only the eye of a long chain, following a comparative analysis of governance policies and practices in school systems concluded that: “Reforms of government and management policies and practices are fundamental to address the challenges associated with the global quality of school education and, in particular, to reduce the gap in results among students […]. The greater autonomy of schools in personnel management and curricular training has a positive impact on quality, linked to measures to improve the responsibility of educational agents in schools and the level of educational leadership” Another finding in this sense is ours. The European governance system like ours is an exception, “a clear Iberian exception”
Returning to the preliminary draft, its content is excessively similar to the content of the Public School Act of 93. Is it not possible to express and recognise the specific identity of the centres in the areas to which the European Commission refers (secondment and personnel management, training and curriculum leadership)?
Significant steps could be taken through the Program Contracts provided for in the Educational Agreement itself, experimenting and evaluating with the help of different centers. Co-governance of the system is also a real opportunity for resident work!
? Municipal School Councils and Municipalities.- Until now, their contribution to the governance of the school has been very modest: to coordinate the execution of the school calendars of the municipality, to give up the maintenance of the Public Schools or the public floor for the construction of schools, … In general, the administrative tasks, far from the important role of the municipalities in Europe.
We see other possibilities, as drivers and drivers of the collaboration between the different schools in the locality: Euskaldunization (in the after-school activities, in the organization of the juvenile respiratory spaces), the coordination of the pedagogical task against segregation (not only the administrative allocation of students), and / or the execution of the local curricula, ... From the municipalities we also need to promote new, innovative and experiential dynamics. Admittedly, recognizing the identity of all centres, the most effective form of collaboration of all local centres. Current legislation limits the role of municipalities, but does not prohibit collaboration with other public and private institutions.
? The popular vision (Basque Country) at the management level, in our opinion, remains upside down. For example, greater efforts should be made in the transmission of Euskera and Basque culture and in the inter-cooperation between schools in the Basque Country. For example, Law 3/2004 of the Basque University System 2.artikulua (BOPV 12-03-2004 and BOE 19-11-2011) states that “… In addition, the relationship and collaboration within the system will be promoted to promote the use of Euskera with other university institutions located in other territories that share the Basque culture, through the coordination of teaching, research and cultural initiatives, as well. Preferential relationships will be established with other universities based in the Basque Country”. Something like this could be brought to the content of the new Education Act, making an updated and adapted version of this text.
Consequently, little progress has been made in the area of governance. If we want to go further, we must try, dare, risk, experiment and evaluate at the same time, real cooperation. We believe that the most effective option for moving forward into the future!
(1) Brussels, 30.5.2017 COM (2017) 248 final. Communication from the Education Committee
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