Free Institution of Education: Shaping Modern Spanish Education
This historical text, penned during the Restoration by historian Giner de los Ríos and featured in his “Essays” as well as F. Díaz-Flat’s “History of Spain in their documents,” examines the Free Institution of Education (Institución Libre de Enseñanza, or ILE).
The document showcases the ILE as a nature exhibition and an educational and social endeavor. It was a public institution dedicated to demonstrating its operational principles.
The ILE emerged during the Restoration, a period when numerous teachers were dismissed from their positions. These educators resolved to establish an institution embodying values distinct from those prevalent in Europe.
The organization not only provided instruction but also guided individuals towards alignment with European intellectual currents.
It fostered holistic development by teaching ethical and moral conduct, alongside physical training.
The author emphasizes that students were encouraged to critically assess politics and laws.
Starting with the liberal Cortes of Cadiz, Spain aimed to implement a centralized, state-governed, and state-funded education system, independent of the Catholic Church. However, the challenges faced by liberalism during Ferdinand VII’s reign, coupled with the economic and political turmoil of the Carlist War, delayed these plans. During Isabella II’s reign, liberalism consolidated, leading to various curricula, including the “Moyano Law,” which mandated free and compulsory primary education. Yet, state financial constraints hindered the law’s full implementation. The concordat with the Holy See also influenced teaching. Academic freedom was briefly established during the six-year period but suppressed by Cánovas during the Restoration. The Restoration era inherited unresolved 19th-century educational issues: widespread illiteracy (over 70% in some areas), a scarcity of schools and teachers in rural regions, the pervasive influence of Catholic ethics and morals (with the Church controlling much of secondary education), and limited educational opportunities for women, who were primarily educated to be mothers and wives. The Free Institution of Education (ILE) arose within this context.
Founded in 1876 by professors including Francisco Giner de los Ríos and Nicolás Salmerón, the ILE championed academic freedom and resisted conforming to official religious, political, or moral doctrines. This stance led them to establish a private educational institution, initially focusing on university-level education, then expanding to primary and secondary levels.
Joaquín Costa and other figures involved in educational, cultural, and social reform joined the project.
By 1881, the Institute began incorporating trained teachers to strengthen its mission and ensure its continuity.
From 1876 until the Spanish Civil War in 1936, the ILE served as a cornerstone of Spanish culture, introducing advanced educational and scientific theories from abroad and advocating for social, political, educational, and cultural regeneration through the “integral formation” of individuals.
The ILE spurred the creation of institutions like the National Pedagogical Museum and the Ministry of Education, as well as school vacation colonies, the theater group La Barraca, and the Educational Missions, which traveled to Spanish villages during the Second Republic.
Advocating for comprehensive education, the ILE introduced coeducation in a neutral setting, implemented innovative teaching methods, and organized students into homogeneous groups based on their educational level. The teacher and the method were central to ILE’s educational philosophy, with the student at the heart of the learning process.
The ILE exerted significant influence during the Second Republic, but its activities ceased in 1940. However, some private schools emerged in the 1950s adopting ILE’s methods, and its pedagogical and didactic influence remains valuable today.
Conclusion
This text is crucial for understanding the ILE’s values and its decisive influence on modernizing Spanish education. The Generations of 1914 and especially 1927 were profoundly influenced by its ideas. The student residence that housed figures like Dalí, Lorca, Alberti, and Buñuel exemplifies the ILE’s contribution to cultural and artistic development.