The Spanish bishops have demanded this week a free education regardless of the public or private ownership of the center and the model of religious confession in the framework of the plenary assembly of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CEE). "Families must demand the right to be able to choose the education they prefer over their children, without being penalized for the model they choose," said the president of the EEC, Juan José Omella, who denounced the underfunding of the subsidized school and questioned himself. if not, the school check could be the tool that helps guarantee their survival.
"Couldn't the school check be the true neutrality and freedom that we ask of the competent administration?" Omella questioned, who gave the example of what happens in other European countries that "openly and completely finance the education of children and adolescents in the school chosen by the parents, regardless of their ownership, educational model and religious or secular confession”.
This idea, which is not new, has reopened the debate on the financing of the concerted school, which is covered by 65% with the educational concert, which is used to pay the salary of the teaching staff and a part of the operating expenses of the school and 35% for the contributions made by the families, which cover the costs of the sixth hour, the payment of specialists hired by the center, the operating expenses that are not covered by the concert and other educational services.
The general secretary of the Fundació Escola Cristiana de Catalunya (FECC), Meritxell Ruiz, recalls that in Catalonia there is already an educational law, approved in 2009, which recognizes that the educational service, made up of public and subsidized centers, must be free. In this sense, she believes that what needs to be done is "advance in making the system free", fully deploying –also in the economic aspect– a law that has already been approved. “That 35% of education costs are paid by families is a problem especially for those that have more vulnerable students,” Ruiz highlights. "What we must demand is that the Government finance that 35% so that all our students can attend our centers without having to pay."
According to Ruiz, the improvement in financing "would be enough" without the need to use other instruments such as the school check. “It gives more legal guarantees and generates more equity”, emphasizes Ruiz, who calls for a model for education similar to the Catalan health system in which “whoever you are and wherever you come from, you can go to any subsidized or public hospital and they treat you the same , without paying anything". According to the subsidized school, which in Catalonia educates some 365,000 students in 700 centers –religious and secular–, the Department of Education pays 33% less for a subsidized place than for a public one.
Josep Closa, general director of the Fundació Vedruna Catalunya – which brings together 37 Christian-inspired centers with a total of 20,000 students – defends that “parents should be able to choose their children's center for the project, regardless of their economic capacity”. He points out that in Vedruna centers, an average of 22% of students have special educational needs, a figure that exceeds 33% in some areas. On the measure of the school check, he considers that "it could be an option as long as it is adapted to the needs of the centers", although there may be other formulas such as increased financing. "We have no interest in charging fees to parents, but we have to do it because the administration does not provide us with enough resources," he argues.
The president of the Federació d'Associacions de Pares i Mares d'Escoles Lliures (Fapel), José Manuel Prats, believes that the concert is an "effective economic legal tool, which guarantees stability, durability and security", but "it is insufficient” in terms of amount. "You have to keep rowing so that it can increase." Regarding the school check, he considers that this instrument, without having fully entered into the proposal, raises doubts. "It could be understood as a subsidy and that is always discretionary, temporary, subject to availability... for now I see questions," he says.
Nor do Catholic Schools, the largest employer of concerted education, see it clearly. Its general secretary, Pedro Huerta, in statements collected by Efe, pointed out this week that this check, "instead of improving the system, would punish families who could not pay what would exceed that free part of the check" and added to the request to "improve the agreements" between the centers and the administrations.
Different is the opinion of the Association of Private and Independent Schools (Cicae), which trains some 60,000 students, which claims to study ways such as direct aid to families under income criteria. "It would provide greater freedom to families to choose the school they consider most suitable for their children, overcoming the economic barrier," they say.
Carlos Camí, president of the Confederation of Autonomous Centers of Catalonia - the employer group that groups lay concerted centers -, points out that, although he does not believe that this measure will affect them directly, "it would be welcome" if it ends up being implemented.
