The drop in the PISA tests in 2022 has generated an intense debate about the state of education in Catalonia. Compared to a decade ago, classrooms are more diverse and inclusive, with an increase in immigration and vulnerability. Students are more technological and bored if they have a passive attitude in class. Families participate more, but they also put pressure on teachers. And it's harder than ever to be a teacher.
In addition, the school has been impacted by a succession of events that are difficult to deal with: after the process, a pandemic, with the stress it caused for the managements, and the consequences in terms of the emotional well-being of the community and in learning losses. The new curricula derived from the new education law, which oblige to transform the way of teaching "of all life". The discomfort expressed in protests for the demands of Education, which has driven measures (the calendar) that had nothing to do with the needs derived from the pandemic.
These are some of the causes outlined by experts. How to go back to some data that places Catalonia below the OECD level? "It is so serious that we need a political and social consensus to implement a long-term plan", replies Coral Regí, an education expert.
Some areas of improvement:
Resources for those most in need
In order to face the challenges of the future, an inclusive, equitable education that offers opportunities to all students is necessary. In this sense, investments have been made in recent years, some thanks to European funds, which will take time to produce results. Investment has been made in the detection of vulnerable students, accompaniment, redistribution in centers and more resources in schools and institutes with shock plans. The schooling of children from 0 to 3 years has also been promoted. "Nevertheless, the cohort born between 2006-2007 examined in PISA did all of primary school under the cuts that depressed educational spending to 2.8% of GDP, at the level of Guatemala," says the sociologist and expert in educational equity Xavier Martínez-Celorrio. “Around 40% of the cuts went to educational programs initiated by the tripartite government (2003-2010), which had a positive impact on the results. Therefore, that cohort was deprived of support from primary school", he warns. The Minister has announced that she will present new measures to combat child poverty and school segregation.
Detection of difficulties
According to former councilor Irene Rigau, the early detection of difficulties is key so that the losses do not consolidate. And this is especially important in early childhood and primary education, in the first steps of reading and writing. The education law urges teachers to attend to difficulties that are immediately perceived, at any educational level. "The basic problem is to work well from childhood because at the age of 12 it is more difficult". On the other hand, regarding the supposed relaxation, "we have the worst results and the highest level of repetitions, it seems that it is not a useful measure. On the other hand, we know that motivation does work", says Jordi Mussons, director of Sadako.
Competence learning
The PISA tests require competence skills, that is, knowing how to mobilize the acquired knowledge. It is surprising that an intense debate has been generated on social media about the need to return to teaching in a "traditional" way. For Mussons, it is strange to talk about artificial intelligence one day and blackboards and desks the next. He also questions whether any of the 50 institutes selected by PISA have an innovative consolidated project, given how widespread learning by skills is at secondary school. For Regí, it's not about children being "happy", but about having confidence in themselves to strive and learn. This is the mission of teachers. "It is not an education with loose cotton, it is based on trust and demand".
Reading and math
"In primary school, 24% pass without adequate reading comprehension, a constant that has not been remedied either by inspections or by the department," says Martínez-Celorrio. In his opinion, basic skills tests should be used to incentivize center improvement plans with evaluated program contracts and, if they work, transfer them and energize center networks. And foster the habit of reading, for which school libraries are essential. And promoting, according to Mussons, oratory, key in the future.
According to the director general of the ministry, Mónica Domínguez, the education system still has a path of improvement towards competent learning in mathematics. It is necessary to review, on the other hand, methodologies that do not work. Experts suggest finding out what works in some centers and being able to share it.
The teaching profession
The competence of teachers has a very high effect on student learning, according to Andreas Schleicher, Director of Education at the OECD. They must not only know their specialty well, but also how to teach it. Some areas of improvement that are pointed out, in addition to changes in the Master's, are the training in learning by skills, co-teaching (two teachers in a classroom), training for the needs of the center. For Schleicher, it is more important that the profession is intellectually stimulating, that it is well valued and that there is a lot of interaction between teachers than that it is well paid. He gave as an example Singapore, leader in this edition of PISA. Female teachers train according to their needs, enter schools with mentors and have a defined plan.
