EDUCATION IN SPAIN

The Spanish education system is relatively decentralised. Through the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte, MECD), the central government designs the legal framework regulating the principles, objectives, and organisation of the different school levels, as well as a proportion of the contents and subjects studied. Departments of education from the 17 regions develop and manage their education systems based on these guidelines. Other bodies also shape education policy:

The Spanish education system is made up of:

● Early Childhood:It is organized into two cycles : the first comprises up to 3-year-olds ; the second , which is free, goes from 3 to 6-year-olds.Today nearly 100 % of 3-year-olds attend primary school, where early education is provided in infant classes.

● Primary:Primary education is compulsory and free. It is organized in 3 cycles of two years each. It is for pupils aged between 6 and 12 years old.

● Secondary (ESO):The compulsory stage of secondary education is normally referred to by its initials: ESO (Educación Secundaria Obligatoria).

It is a free and compulsory education stage to complete basic education. It consists of four years. It is for pupils aged between 12 and 16 years old. However, pupils can retake two different years of this stage so they can finish it when they are 18 years old.

All pupils have to study the three first years of this stage. Then they can choose between the 4th year of secondary and take a series of exams called the Certificate of Secondary Education (CSE) at the end of that year, or 2 years of basic vocational training which leads to get a Certificate of Basic Vocational Training. If these pupils want to get the CSE, they have to take the same exams as the pupils who opted for the 4th year of secondary.

● Post Compulsory Secondary Education:Successful students who are awarded the CSE can enter the post-compulsory stage of Schooling, either Baccalaureate ( Bachillerato) or Intermediate Vocational Training.

➢ Baccalaureate:This post-16 stage of education lasts 2 years. There are two parts, a core curriculum with the compulsory subjects, and a specialist part with a few pre-selected branches to choose from.Once students have finished their Baccalaureate, they can take their University Entrance Exam (Pruebas de Acceso a la Universidad, popularly called Selectividad) which differs greatly from region to region.

➢ Intermediate Vocational TrainingIntermediate training cycles lead to the Technician Certificate for the

corresponding vocation.

● Higher education

➢ University

The normal duration for University courses is 4 years, except Medicine, which is 6 years. The universities regulate access to their own degrees and they fix the academic fees. They can also offer unofficial postgraduate degrees.

Postgraduate courses are Master's degrees (Máster), and Doctoral degrees (Doctorado). Access is regulated by the university itself, through the Doctorate Commission. It is necessary to have the degree course, architecture or engineering.

➢ Advanced Vocational Training

It has the Spanish Baccalaureate as the principal requirement. It leads to the Advanced Technician Certificate. After completing this cycle, students are entitled to direct entrance to several related University.

MINISTERIO DE EDUCACIÓN, CULTURA Y DEPORTE (2015). Facts and Figures school year 2014-2015. 2014 NIPO 030-14-187-1. Madrid. Imprenta Nacional de la AEBOE