The bath of reality that we have received with the educational suspense of the PISA report was necessary. This cold shower woke us up suddenly and showed us naked, without makeup or disguises. We have deceived ourselves for a long time and, therefore, it is good to be put in front of the mirror. The first step in trying to solve this disaster is to know the truth about what is happening. This way it is easier to find a remedy. Until now we responded to criticism by proclaiming the excellence of our educational system. The same thing happened to us with the pandemic that put our “model” health system on the ropes. But unlike the unpredictable covid epidemic, the poor school results are the result of the inability to manage in the medium and long term
Let's say things clearly. If, when we demonstrated in favor of being a welcoming country (remember the “Volem acollir” campaign six years ago that filled the Palau Sant Jordi) we had prepared ourselves to adequately care for all the newcomers, a different rooster would crow. But we didn't do it and that motto of “we want to welcome” has been transformed into “we don't know how to welcome.” Immigration can be an opportunity or a problem, depending on how it is managed. And, in view of what the Generalitat itself already unambiguously admits, it has become a school burden because the means have not been put in place to attend to this migrant population in schools that, on the other hand, we need to alleviate the very low birth rate and the accelerated aging of our society.
We cannot act surprised. As the president of the Generalitat himself, Pere Aragonès, said, “there are no excuses.” There was a lack of foresight. It also happens with drought. If massive and continued rain does not remedy this, boatloads of water will arrive before spring, while unprecedented restrictions will be announced. The Government will do well not to put the emphasis on family spending on water because citizens have been behaving responsibly for a long time. The consumption data in Barcelona is clearly visible, historically well below what is now permitted.
Unloading responsibility for the government's lack of foresight on citizens can ignite the fuse of protest. The citizen is not to blame for the investment deficit or for the fact that debates such as the interconnection of hydrographic basins have not been seriously addressed due to electoral fear. And now, no matter how hard we run, we won't make it in time.
Meanwhile, the opposition brandishes those weaknesses. “Without water, in the dark and the children do not know how to read, write, or add,” said the leader of the PSC, Salvador Illa, after seeing the result of the PISA report. And immediately afterwards, he demanded that the Government comply with what was agreed upon a year ago (B-40, Hard Rock and airport) which has nothing to do with education or drought. We are entering the electoral period in Catalonia and that does not help to face the problems with serenity and consensus.
