# The sad tale of education in Madrid



## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Just a few gems from the education authorities in Madrid.
Price of matrícula in FP went up last year from 50 euros to 150. This year it went from 150 euros to 450.
There were a large number of students wanting to sign up for some courses this year (Surprise! When there are few jobs to be had more people study) so weeks before the classes were due to start the authorities decided to up the max number of students per class from 30 to 35. However there is no provision for extra chairs, tables let alone computers. Nor are there any plans for bigger classrooms. In many of the classes 35 people do not physically fit in the room, but does that matter? Apparently not!
Meanwhile, students are receiving grants to study FP courses in private schools
What else...
Oh yes, there are courses aimed at those who don't get their leaving certificate at 16 called PCPI. These students need constant motivation, attention. They benefit from having a close relationship with teachers and a close parent teacher relationship too. These courses started around the 15 th of September and are still waiting to be assigned 50% of their teachers. A great deal of those kids are once again not bothering to go to school. Why would they? They're not receiving an education there, are they?

Your support would be greatly appreciated, not only by state school teachers, but also their students and the children's parents as well.


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

The 24th of October will be a national strike in Education. 

Shall we start a scholarship organization for public school students? 
If I had a better idea of how to manage such a fund and select students, I'd do it.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

My UK teachers union went on strike last week in protest against the government's education policies. It's time for co-ordinated union action Europe-wide. The ETUC and
Education International should organise a Europe-wide Day of Awareness. Teachers could take over schools and organise teach-ins to inform people about the serious threat to education which is a threat to our future.
I'm not really keen on marches as I think some kind of political education activity is more effective. I'm going to write to my Union General Secretary to suggest this.


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

elenetxu said:


> The 24th of October will be a national strike in Education.
> 
> Shall we start a scholarship organization for public school students?
> If I had a better idea of how to manage such a fund and select students, I'd do it.


Sometimes a letter to the national press can produce amazing results.


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

I can't make up my mind who is doing the most damage to state education, Gove in the UK or Wert in Spain. 

I could relate a similar catalogue of awfulness here, even though the Junta de Andalucia said they wouldn¡t cut education services. Teachers who leave aren't being replaced. Class sizes have doubled in some cases as year groups have been merged, language labs are unusable because there is no money to repair the kit, etc etc.

Incidentally PW, my teacher friend told me that children of funcionarios aren't eligible for higher education grants. Is that the same in Madrid?


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Alcalaina said:


> Incidentally PW, my teacher friend told me that children of funcionarios aren't eligible for higher education grants. Is that the same in Madrid?


Not sure what you're taking about here.

We've never got any grants, except for one year, when my daughter was in primary we got help with books, but I don't know of any kind of grant/ scholarship that civil servants aren't allowed to apply for, if that's what you mean


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Not sure what you're taking about here.
> 
> We've never got any grants, except for one year, when my daughter was in primary we got help with books, but I don't know of any kind of grant/ scholarship that civil servants aren't allowed to apply for, if that's what you mean


talking about, not taking about


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## Alcalaina (Aug 6, 2010)

Pesky Wesky said:


> Not sure what you're taking about here.
> 
> We've never got any grants, except for one year, when my daughter was in primary we got help with books, but I don't know of any kind of grant/ scholarship that civil servants aren't allowed to apply for, if that's what you mean


The becas for university fees, that you can only get if you score above a certain amount in your bachillerato?

Cómo son las claves del nuevo sistema de becas de Wert - Becas - Educación - Practicopedia.com


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Alcalaina said:


> The becas for university fees, that you can only get if you score above a certain amount in your bachillerato?
> 
> Cómo son las claves del nuevo sistema de becas de Wert - Becas - Educación - Practicopedia.com


I don't know. I haven't heard anything about this, I mean about funcionarios not being eligible...
I don't find the idea of getting more than 5.5 in order to receive your grant such a bad idea though. 5 is a magical number to a Spanish student. Instead of meaning Shhhit, I only know 50% of the material so I'd better get to grips with this, it means I Passed!! Yeyy!!!


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

Another education in Madrid story...
OH, FP teacher of many years standing noticed something wrong with his salary after changing from one contract to another, but with no break in working. He finished one contract in Dec, started the other in Jan. He wasn't getting paid for years of service so he claimed it back. A couple of times. No joy. He took his case to the unions (CCOO). They said it was a clear cut case and he should take it to court through them. So he did and he won. All of this has taken a couple of years. A few thousand euros are now owing to my husband.
But this isn't the end of the story as the authorities have recognised that this has to be back dated to the time when he made the claim, 2 years ago. As they can't be expected to put 2 and 2 together he'll probably have to make another claim to bring it up to date, by which time he'll have to make another claim and ....
I think he's looking on it as the Golden Handshake for when he retires!!


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## Guest (Oct 12, 2013)

*Austerity is destroying education*

This is happening worldwide. Activism is certainly called for, yet not just on specific issues. I think the heart of this stems from the austerity measures being imposed, but if there is more money available to governments then there would be no need to diminish public services like education.

Here is an article about how the IMF is surprisingly calling for countries to tax the world's wealthiest individuals and corporations at 1980 tax rates. 


Tax the rich? IMF sparks a mini revolution | AFP.com


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

mrypg9 said:


> My UK teachers union went on strike last week in protest against the government's education policies. It's time for co-ordinated union action Europe-wide. The ETUC and
> Education International should organise a Europe-wide Day of Awareness. Teachers could take over schools and organise teach-ins to inform people about the serious threat to education which is a threat to our future.
> I'm not really keen on marches as I think some kind of political education activity is more effective. I'm going to write to my Union General Secretary to suggest this.


I didn't really mean get off your bum and do smth; I meant be sympathetic towards the cause, but of course any action would be greatly appreciated!!

You know, I like marches, but strikes... There are often "victims" caught up in the middle - in this case the children.


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## 213979 (Apr 11, 2013)

I find, or believe, that teach-ins here don't or wouldn't have the desired effect. You're preaching to the choir. It's when the teachers are in the center of town or stopping traffic that people start to ask "why?"


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## mrypg9 (Apr 26, 2008)

elenetxu said:


> I find, or believe, that teach-ins here don't or wouldn't have the desired effect. You're preaching to the choir. It's when the teachers are in the center of town or stopping traffic that people start to ask "why?"


I'm with PW on this one. Most strikes have the effect of inconveniencing the general public and do not harm the employers, whether private or public sector who merely save the pay cheque for the working days lost.
Teachers' strikes in particular cause much inconvenience to working people, especially women, who have to make arrangements for childcare which usually means time off and loss of wages.
In my experience of marches, stopping traffic etc. people do ask 'Why?' but more along the lines of 'Why are these annoying people causing these problems for me?'
I've been on strike a few times in my working life but I have to say that nothing was achieved. In a way, I think that's right. Street protest of that kind shouldn't overturn the policies of a democratically elected Government, however dreadful. That's the task of a politically educated and informed electorate.
The last strike I went on, ages ago, at my school -where I had signed up 99% of staff to my Union - our members decided that some of us would picket outside the gates and distribute leaflets explaining the background to industrial action and a few went round knocking on doors explaining to angry parents why their children were not at school.
So teach-ins in the traditional format may not work but you don't win hearts and minds by inconveniencing the people whose support you most need..the public.


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