Higher Education Reform in Spain: Key Milestones
In 1983, the LRU (University Reform Act) acknowledged that Spain’s expected entry into the European Union would provide greater mobility for Spanish and foreign graduates. The process of building the European Higher Education Area (EHEA), launched in 1999 with the Bologna Declaration, aimed to adopt a system of flexible, understandable, and comparable degrees. It also sought to promote job opportunities for students within the European context. The timeframe established for achieving this European area was 2010, based on two distinct levels: graduate and postgraduate.
Contributing to the formation of the EHEA and fully integrating into it is one of the main objectives, implying a profound transformation of the Spanish university structure. To understand the current state of the EHEA building process, we must consider several key documents.
- 2006: The important LOE (Organic Law on Education) was enacted.
- 2007:
- Royal Decree 188/2007 of February 9 regulated the national qualification system for access to University Teachers Corps officials and the system of entrance examinations.
- Law 6/2001 was passed.
- In October, two crucial royal decrees were published to reorganize the teacher selection system:
- RD 1313 established the system of entrance examinations for university teaching.
- RD 1393 established the management of official university studies.
These last two are considered pivotal for planning university life in the coming years.
- 2008: RD 1509/1008 was published, regulating the conditions of access to official teaching degrees and admission processes in Spanish public universities.
This long and laborious process strives to achieve the goals set in Lisbon and Barcelona.
Democratization of Education
The third issue concerns the democratization of education. This expression encompasses at least two key issues:
- Extending education to all sectors, including marginalized groups.
- Adapting its forms to a new style of dialogue and participation.
Finally, the democratization of education means accepting the possibility of alternatives, as there is no single democratic form of education. If this is genuine democracy, there must be adequate resources and facilities, as these are the foundation of every educational program. This may not seem to be a problem in our country; it is more a matter of genuine political will and a genuine democratic spirit across all sectors.
Comprehensive Education and its Social Dimension
A principle accepted and assumed by all is that education is more than learning a series of scientific, technical, or professional skills. It is a comprehensive issue that involves all aspects of the person beyond the purely educational.
Regarding the social dimension of education, we can say that it exists for at least three main reasons:
- Its rich content and broad themes.
- It involves all sectors of the population.
- The values associated with it.
Education’s Connection to Social Issues
The issues connected with education are numerous and relevant: education and social spending, stages of development, family, health, disability, racism, immigration and ethnic minorities, poverty, social inclusion, and prisoners. It is also connected with gender, non-violence, employment, leisure, new technologies, information, social Europe, and the university itself.
Given the social dimension of education, the responsibility ceases to be solely and exclusively that of teachers and moves to involve all sectors of the population (family, media, political parties, the immediate environment, institutions, etc.). From this new social conception of education, society understands the need for joint action within a clear plurality while assuming the urgency of agreeing on the key concept of education and the core values to transmit.
Education and Values: A Key Link
Elaborating further on this social perspective, comprehensive education is the key link between education and values. Society assumes that education is, above all else, a matter of values and attitudes required for the development of individuals and groups. The principles of human dignity, mutual respect, and general consideration of human values should govern education.