A few days ago, a ruling by the Supreme Court has ratified the non-renewal of the agreement to two schools that practice a differentiated education because of sex, one of them in Cantabria, the other in Andalusia. In turn, the aforementioned Court accepts the non-concession of a concert to another educational center with these characteristics.
This decision has motivated dozens of statements and opinions expressed for and against, such as the proposal for an appeal before the Constitutional Court by the associations of parents of the affected schools.
Without going into discussions about whether this type of education is discriminatory or not, I think that anyone who wants an 'à la carte education for their children' should pay it out of pocket, that the public education is already quite beaten up so that everyone's money will pay pedagogies for a few.
Educational centers that include sport as a transversal subject, others that practice active and participatory methodologies (this would be my ideal model if I could choose), schools that educate girls and boys separately, and even those (best known by all) that base their Language immersion programs (English and German are the most widely used languages). Educational models adjusted to the interests of each family, whose cost is assumed entirely by the parents of the students.
Many parents who take their children to private schools can tell me about situations of inequality because they do not enjoy some public services financed with taxes, and also they must pay the expenses originated by the education of their children. But it is that resources 'for all' must be designed to meet general needs, not particular ones.
The situation that has generated the decision of the TS has generated dozens of manifestations. On one side the Minister of Education affirms his intention to modify the norm that prohibits discrimination for any reason in the schooling process of centers held with public funds. Mr. Wert relies on a Unesco convention according to which differentiated education is not discriminatory, therefore there should also be no differentiation in its financing.
On the other hand CEAPA maintains that it is not convenient to finance these types of schools because they undermine the principles and values of our democratic system. They consider it very negative to deprive minors of the right to live and socialize with the other half of the population. It has been shown that people have different capacities, aptitudes and attitudes, but this is only a consequence of the diversity and plurality existing among all people. Education must be based on respect for our peers, regardless of the sex they have.
Segregated classrooms create walls between men and women. One of the causes of gender violence lies in the difficulty that many men have to identify and put themselves in the place of women, because they do not know their world and look different
Andalusia has already announced that for the 2013/14 academic year it will not continue to finance the concerted centers that educate boys and girls separately, Navarra has decided to continue paying for differentiated education in its territory, and Catalonia intends to modify its Educational Law so as not to finance these schools , nor any other that is elitist. They are just a few examples.
Is it true that differentiated education responds to an innovative model? Do children who study like this get better results? In other countries these centers are implemented as a novelty, and all emphasize the benefits on academic aspects, but education does not only materialize in a greater or lesser performance, right? Education must also enable us to understand others, find solutions to problems, and learn to relate to each other..
The controversy is served, it is clear that when you can choose a pedagogical option it is based not only on the future we want for our children, but to respond to family interests (and ideologies). On the other hand, if there is something that shows us the unequal distribution of public funds, it is the fact that when the cuts began during the past year, the concerted schools did not suffer as much as the public centers (at least in my Community).
