Privatization of Public Education. A Trend in Spain.A way towards inequality

José Luis Bernal Agudo Universidad Zaragozajbernal@unizar.es http://didac.unizar.es/jlbernal/inicial.html

What would be left from public schools in the XXI Century?

We are going towards a school for the gifted, for excellence, empowering the private sector... leaving aside the public and comprehensive school.

Education is open to the markets, to private interest... imposing the neoliberal and neoconservative references.

The privatization processes, visible and explicit as the hidden ones, continue on their way.

Language is never neutral

CompetencesExcellenceResultsControlQualityEffortTalent …

This language form part of a language that is been incorporated at the moment into the educational discourse in a usual way

Privatization in public schools is going to result in an empowering element of inequality in our society.

Capitalism in itself generates inequality, being the State responsible for distributing the riches and compensate the inequalities through the so-called “Welfare State”, essentially in its intervention with education and health.

Through the public school it is possible an equality of opportunities, that compensates the inequalities produce by the capitalist system.

With the actual cuts in healthcare and, most of all, in education, more inequality will be produced.

Some of them are perceived

as natural 

Some of them are hidden in an evil way

It´s necessary to perceive the privatization processes of public education to do that visible!

PUBLIC SCHOOLS AS A MECHANISM OF

SOCIAL COHESIONEDUCATION AS A RIGHT FOR ALL, SOMETHING NOT NEGOTIABLE

1º

The right of education for all, Something non negotiable

•Universal declaration of human rights. ONU 1948.

•Constitution 1978 (Spain). Article 27.1

“Everyone has the right to education”

Through public schools…

Education acts as a mechanism of social cohesion in a free, tolerant and united society

To privatize means to give pieces of power and responsibility to private entities

Education as a public asset to be used by the whole society

Education as a private asset to be used for the

interest of groups with higher level in education,

companies and economy

becomes

AN EXAMPLE Two budget cuts: more students, less teachers

It is a hidden way to privatize education

The ones losing are going to be those students with less possibilities.

Around 80 % of foreign students have enrolled in public school; as a result, the social cohesion and integration mechanism that the public school has became an exclusion mechanism per se.

The middle class will escape those classes where the number of students and their differences don’t permit a proper education

Foreing students

Subsidized private schoolPUBLIC schools Private schools

Foreing students

Foreing students

Foreing students

With privatization one of the most relevant rights acquired in the XX century

will be cancelled out.

What neoliberals defend in an evil way is an equality of possibilities for all, not an

equality of opportunities where the compensation of inequalities, should be

taken as reference.In the 2013 budget the education programmes of

compensatory education lose 116,5 million, meaning, 68 %, until reaching 53 million .

The right of education for all

WAYS OF PRIVATIZING OF THE PUBLIC ASSETS

NEOLIBERAL AND NEOCONSERVATIVE REFERENCES

2º

What are we talking about?

The outsourcing of public responsibilities in different private entities

This privatization can be specified in many ways, but it in all of them the State stops being the direct

responsible of what is done giving this responsibility to private entities o private companies, that became

part of these schools

Its not something isolated…

Privatization of public education is one more element of the whole complex and big process of restructuring of the public and economic ways that specifies the capitalist development.

The brought down of the State as responsible and manager of services as basic as education is one of the objectives of the neoliberal policies, that see privatization and the entrance in the market economy the basic strategies to escape from the crisis.

An example

“...Since this Wednesday, town councils, ministries, communities … with deficit last year and with 5% less than budget, may start a collective dismissal.

... 49.400 jobs destroyed in the public sector in the last quarter" (El País 31/10/12)

Spain Foundation for Social Studies and Analysis

(FAES)

Foundation for Social Studies and Analysis (FAES)Think Tank

FAES is in contact with the main centres of political thought in the United States and works with America’s

leading think tanks.FAES carries out its work in Europe through the European Ideas Network (EIN) and bilateral agreements with other

institutions.

FAES defends the idea that individual freedom is the value enabling every person to advance, achieve objectives and live their life according to their own decisions. Individual freedom also enables society as a whole to evolve and improve. No presumed collective right should ever be placed over individual freedom.

(FAES political principles. http://www.fundacionfaes.org/es/principios_politicos_de_faes)

FAES political principles

Market economy has proved its superiority as a system for allocating resources efficiently, creating wealth, and improving collective prosperity.

Economies with balanced budgets, lower taxes and rational public spending, governed by the principle of minimum public intervention, generate better social results and are more respectful of individual freedoms.

(FAES political principles. http://www.fundacionfaes.org/es/principios_politicos_de_faes)

FAES political principles

FAES political principlesThe new law (LOMCE) is a consequence of these principles

School vouchersThe freedom of physical and legal persons to create schools

Retraining of civil servant Freedom for differentiated salaries Professionalization of the school management

Control by results (Libertad de elección y pluralismo, 2009)

Visible (exogen) Hidden (endogen)

TWO WAYS OF PRIVATIZATION

Entry in the private sector of public education directly

Financing of schools

To incorporate the designs of the public schools, methods and practices of the private sector

New public management

Influence of the new English right in the spanish educative policy

In England and in Spain, the neoconservative and neoliberal forces have tried to impose their criteria and policy, which has result firstly in a brutal free market (neoliberal) and secondly a maintenance of the old values and tradition.

Manuel de Puelles (2005)

Ronald Reagan… Margaret Teacher…Esperanza Aguirre 1980 1988 1996

Neoliberal Neoconservative

The freedom of choice of the school is one of the paradigms, where personal freedom constitutes a value bigger than any collective right

The contents of "Education for the people" making it similar to those values that, according to them, always must prevail.

The same curriculum is imposed for all (increasing the percentage that the State controls, up to 75 % of the total of its contents)

Ones wish that the free market shrinking the State all that they can, others want a State that continues having strength and responsibility.

The visible and the hidden in privatization

Analysis of the acting and measures

3º

Financing of private schools Outsourcing school services (dining,

transportation, extracurricular activities, etc..)

Outsourcing schools

Management: New Public Management

Freedom of choice of school Control by results Cuts in public school Competence programming

Visible Financing of private schools Outsourcing school services

(dining, transportation, extracurricular activities, etc..)

Outsourcing schools

Funding private schools

Subsidized private schools

Subsidized private schools

Private Schools

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FINANCINGFINANCING

Three networksThree networks

X

Features private school

• Total freedom to organize the participation in school

• Complete autonomy in business and performance

• Little State control• Hard competition between schools • The parents choose the school

using market parameters

Features private school

• They receive all from the market

• High class and some middle class

• Elitist education

Features Subsidized private school

• Religious

•Autonomy in business and performance

• Little State control•Competition between schools•The parents choose the

school using three basic criteria of selection

They receive from the State and the market

budget students

They are not always applied in practice, because schools use mechanisms to prevent certain students (immigrants, gypsies….) from enrollment, like charging for uniforms, extracurricular activities, catering, parent associations,…

Three basic criteria of selection:1) proximity of the school

2) family income

3) brothers or sisters already at the school

Features public schoolDemocratic participation

Little autonomy in business and performance

(It tends to change according to market policies )

State controlLittle competition between

schools(It tends to change according to

market policies )

The parents choose the school using three basic criteria of

selection

Features public school

They receive all from the State

Working class and economically distressed parts of the

population

Plural education

Subsidized private schools

They are funded by the state. The State pays the salaries directly to their teachers and brings a sum to the maintenance of the school.

Students come to the same selection criteria as the public

Teachers are selected by public selection

What must be What it is

Funding for subsidized private schools represents a form of privatization explicit and visible

where public money used to fund a completely private school that offers a level playing similar in theory to the public schools (school choice for parents, management bodies ...), but in practice are completely different

The provision of public education is made through public schools and private schools (art. 108.4, LOE)

It opens the way of ideological consideration of a subsidized private schools (private and mostly religious) as a public service.

Subsidized private schools are integrated as part of the public education service, so that where once prevailing ideas as comprehensive school, social justice, etc.. now include other ideas as profitability, results, excellence, individual interest, competition, etc.

We must not forget…

These concessions were consolidated with the socialist government of Felipe González (1982-1996)

With the conservative Aznar government (1996-2004) expanded more

and stayed with the Zapatero government (2004-2011), again with the socialists giving no problem.

In the current bill Rajoy government (2011 - ...), opens the possibility of funding basic vocational training schools and schools with gender differentiation (which until now had been done, but the Constitutional Court has said that it went against the legislation)

New Law LOMCE

LOE “In no case will there be discrimination for reasons of birth, race, gender, religion, opinions or any other personal or social condition or circumstance”.

LOMCE"In no case shall the discrimination of birth, race, sex, religion, opinion or any other condition or personal or social circumstance. The provisions of the preceding paragraph shall not preclude education schools differentiated by sex subscribe subsidies…".

We can not ignore the number of students who are enrolled in private schools

 Students Public% Subsidized private % Private%7.914.243 68,2 25,4 6,5

Ed. Inf. 1.912.380 65,1 24,1 10,9 1º ci 443.279 51,7 16,5 31,8 2º ci 1.469.101 69,1 26,3 4,6Prim. 2.795.941 67,6 28,4 4,0EE 31.987 56,8 42,9 0,3ESO 1.791.968 65,9 30,6 3,5PCPI 82.939 77,9 22,0 0,2BACH 685.100 76,0 9,5 14,5FP 613.928 77,7 17,6 4,6

Alumnado según titularidad del centro. Curso 2011-2012. Elaboración propia a partir de MECD (2012:4)

Outsourcing of public schools

Subsidized private schools

The funding of private schools has taken a quality leap in some Autonomous Communities directly privatizing public schools and passing these to private management..

To bind the administrations to subsidize any private school that requested it...

Document PP for the educational pact (2010)

Examples

In May 2008, the local government took the school of the network of public schools to make them subsidized private school

El Álamo school

Examples

In November 2011 began the process of privatization El Carrasquer school in Sueca (Valencia)

Establishing a financial arrangement with a private company to do the

work and give them the school management for 75 years El Carrasquer school

El Carrasquer school

In kindergarten…

Outsourcing of services by public administrations is becoming as common in most communities and cuts in public funding for these schools.

An example is in Aragon, where the Government of Aragon has cut its contribution by 14% for public kindergarten, in addition to a 22% decrease already occurring last year

In Aragón…

This measure is the result of one of the 25 educational strategic objectives for the four years of government that have a conservative government rule ahead by the PP-PAR in Aragon:

"Having in consideration the possibility of subsidies for non-compulsory vocational training

(FP), as the first cycle for children between 0 and 3 years old (Kindergarten) and high school "

Hidden Management: New Public

Management Freedom of choice of school Control by results Cuts in public school Competence programming

School choice

a covert form of privatization

Freedom of choice: neoliberal paradigm

Individual freedom is a value above any collective right.

FAES argues that individual freedom is the value that allows each individual to progress, overcome and manage their life

goals according to their own decisions. The exercise of individual freedom also makes progress and improves the

set of society. No collective right course can ever be above individual freedom.

(FAES political principles. http:// www.fundacionfaes.org/es/

principios_politicos_de_faes)

Control by results

Are judged and judge schools for academic excellence, a test regarding

academic values

It overestimates the visible and measurable, thinking through standardized methods and techniques can measure education

The quantified results from standardized tests represent a quality criteria

PISA AND GENERAL DIAGNOSTIC EVALUATIONS

It´s used as a political tool There is a political use of these data: Politicization of knowledge

Andalucía: Diagnostic tests (2006, 2007 y 2008)

Percentage of schools with score above 500, according to ISC (socioeconomic and cultural factors)

Merchán Iglesias, F. J. (2012) La introducción en España de la política educativabasada en la gestión empresarial de la escuela: el caso de Andalucía. Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas, 20 (32).

Lower Upper

ACCOUNTABILITY

Now (LOE)General diagnostic evaluations

4º Primary Education2º Compulsory Secondary Education

PISAStudents 15 years old

New law (LOMCE)

3º Primary Education6º Primary EducationPISA

Students 15 years oldGeneral diagnostic evaluations

4º Primary Education2º Compulsory Secondary Education

4º Compulsory Secondary Education: Validation / Final exams2º Bachillerato: Validation / Final exams

ACCOUNTABILITY

3º Primaria

2º Bachiller

4º ESO

6º Primaria

Universidad

The evaluation criteria will be established by the State Government or Autonomous Communities Government.

GENERAL DIAGNOSTIC

EVALUATIONS

PISA

ACCOUNTABILITY

3º Primaria

2º Bachiller

4º ESO

6º Primaria

Universidad

GENERAL DIAGNOSTIC

EVALUATIONS

PISA

These evaluations will address the basic competences of the curriculum, will take place in both primary and secondary education. The Sectorial Education Conference will ensure that these evaluations are guided by homogeneous criteria

ACCOUNTABILITY

3º Primaria

2º Bachiller

4º ESO

6º Primaria

Universidad

GENERAL DIAGNOSTIC

EVALUATIONS

PISA

Since the year 2000, every three years, a randomly selected group of fifteen-year-olds take tests in the key subjects:  reading, mathematics and science, with focus given to one subject in each year of assessment

GENERAL DIAGNOSTIC

EVALUATIONS

STUDENT EVALUATIONS

3º Primary

2º Bachiller

4º ESO

6º Primaria

UniversidadThe degree of acquisition of basic skills in math and language communication. Serve to evaluate getting held back in third grade

STUDENT EVALUATIONS

3º Primaria

2º Bachiller

4º ESO

6º Primary

UniversidadIt will check the degree of acquisition of basic skills and targets of the stage. Its outcome will have informative and guidance character

STUDENT EVALUATIONS

3º Primaria

2º Bachiller

4º ESO

6º Primaria

UniversidadTo obtain the title they will have to pass this final exam. It will be an external examination school

1º Final exams

STUDENT EVALUATIONS

3º Primaria

2º Bachiller4º ESO

6º Primaria

Universidad

To obtain the degree of Bachelor and access to the University they must pass this final exam

2ª Final exams

Five key limitations, standardized evaluations

1. the disregard of components of the real curriculum, which is not necessarily exhausted in the prescribed curriculum

2. the risks of teaching for the test

3. the incentives that are generated to cheat or inflate the results of the tests

4. the lack of consideration of the economic differences of the pupils who are evaluated

5. the limitations of the results of standardized evaluations to predict the labour success of the students

Barrenechea, I. (2010) “Evaluaciones estandarizadas: seis reflexiones críticas”Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas, 18 (8)

Cuts in public school

The cuts represent a real slaughter for public education and a return to a Franco

school model, elitist and segregating

The cuts represent a real slaughter for public education and a return to a Franco school model, elitist and segregating

Shatter the progress achieved in public education in democracy:

Increased network of public schools Increase teachersLowering the teacher/student ratioExtension of compulsory school age,Universal schooling from three years oldAccess to higher education for everybody

The cuts represent a covert privatization process

The mercantilist ideology ("less state and more market") and privatization involves converting education into a business

Aims to make the public school the private subsidiary. .

FIVE KEY CUTS

Less teachers

For the first time since 1990, public education teachers are lost, increasing students.

In 2011-12 there have been more than 116,000 students, while the number of teachers decreased by 2982

Teachers (Fuente Ministerio Educación)

Public Schools Private Schools

Year 2011-12 493.818 teachers 188.903 teachers

Year 2010-11 496.800 teachers 186.709 teachers

-2982 less teachers +2.194 more teachers

Assault on rural school, eliminating rural school teachers and schools

An example. Rural education (Aragón), Year 2012-13Up to 13 students in a village, there will be a single classroom with children from 3 to 12 years (so far was 10, an increase of 30%)Up to 28 students, 2 classrooms for children from 3 to 12 years (so far was 22, increased by 27%)Up to 47 students, three classrooms from children 3 to 12 years (so far was 37, increased by 27%)

These data will lead to closure of hundreds of classrooms in rural schools

More than 2000 temporary teachers (supply teachers) lose their jobs

Less replacement (over 10 days)

In public schools, the appointment of temporary teachers (supply teachers) take care of a temporary substitution of teachers it will occur only when ten school days have elapsed in result of the situation

The ten school days before the appointment of official temporary teachers (supply teachers)  must be treated with resources of the school.

Real Decreto-ley 14/2012, de 20 de abril, de medidas urgentes de racionalización del gasto público en el ámbito educativo. Art. 4 Sustitución de profesores

Most students (ratio teacher/student)

Public Authorities may extend up to 20% the maximum number of students: up to 30 students in primary education and 35 students in secondary education.

Real Decreto-ley 14/2012, de 20 de abril, de medidas urgentes de racionalización del gasto público en el ámbito educativo. Art. 2

Less funding 2012 Budget 2012 Education, University, Culture and Sports of the

Government of Aragon, for public schools

Infraestructuras no universitarias -24%Infraestructuras universitarias -100%Sustituciones del Personal docente no universitario -54%Gastos de funcionamiento de centros no universitarios -9%Gastos materiales y suministros en centros no universitarios -15%Gastos de funcionamiento de los Centros de Formación de Profesorado (CPR) -64%Libros en primaria en la escuela pública -33%Comedor (ampliado ahora a la concertada) -11%Formación permanente del profesorado no universitario -40%Capítulo de transferencias a Política Educativa y Formación Permanente -84%Convenio con la Universidad de Zaragoza para formación -67%Programas educativos no universitarios -16,5%Plan Aragonés de Formación Profesional -32%Dirección General de Universidades -4%Dirección General de Cultura -21,5%Dirección General de Patrimonio Cultural -34%Dirección General de Deporte -22,5% 

Less funding 2013 Budget 2013 Education

-10,25%

over the previous year

Schools Management: New Public Management

Managing public schools according to the parameters of private

enterprise

Managing public schools within the parameters of the private enterprise, by …

greater financial autonomy that requires private funding due to insufficient funding Public, private interests and introducing trading in public education .

Specialization of schools to offer a competitive and "differentiated" to customers

"Professionalization" of the school management as managers, experts in business management and human resources, which manage public schools "efficiently" and profitability.

Three changes in the new law: LOMCE

An advisory School Boardit loses one of the great achievements of public management

The Selection of head teacher by a committee

Quality schools. Differentiated public schools for advanced students

Quality schoolsThe head teacher may establish specific requirements and merits of the positions offered civil servants

For excellence: High schools for excellence in Madrid. Schools of Excellence and Excellence Classrooms

Competences and education

Competencies has mixed with the obsession of control results, a perfect

blend to introduce learning linked to the economic and business

WITH THE CHURCH HAVE ENCOUNTERED

An important variable in Spain

4º

When we talk about private schools in Spain, speak of the church The Catholic Church manages 5347 private and subsidized private schools  (80% of total private schools).

So when we talk about privatization of public education in Spain, have to talk about the church and its importance in our educational system.

Of the 5,698,699 euros for the church, no less than 4.6 million receive their schools

Estimate derived public money to the Catholic Church in 2012 (thousands of euros)

Asignación Tributaria PGE 278.000Otros asignación directa PGE 4.350Subsidies to schools 3.900.000Religion teacher salary 700.000Atención Sanitaria directa 700.000Capellanes diversas instituciones públicas 25.000Cáritas 81.044Manos Unidas 10.304Total 5.698.699

FINANCIACIÓN DE LA IGLESIA CATÓLICA Y GASTO PÚBLICO. INFORME FUNDACIÓN 1º DE MAYO. Abril 2012

José María Maravall told us …

"A few days after entering the Ministry of Education received the visit of the bishops, who brought us printed decrees that we had to sign and publish in the BOE"

(Público.es 11/10/2012)

It is the sign of the influence of the church in education the last century .

Education was used as a political tool during this time

In the Catholic Church the transition ensures their privileges by the Constitution and the Agreement between the Spanish State and the Holy See:

Catholic religion class: Mandatory for all schools, although voluntary for students

The teaching of the catholic religion "will be held in conditions comparable to other fundamental disciplines"

Teachers of religion are elected by the Church and paid with public money

The Church hierarchy design the content of the subject of religion

In teacher training courses catholic religion will exist at least in an elective way

Facts to confirm

Revenues of the Catholic Church since 2001 have been growing relevant .

In times of crisis, from 241,327,321 in 2007 to 278,000,000 in 2011, while contributions to public school have been decreasing.

In the 2013 budget the education programmes of compensatory education lose 116,5 million,

meaning, 68 %, until reaching 53 million .

The historical evolution of the income received by the Catholic Church in the State Budget

Year Tax allocation

2001 107.289.393

2002 105.692.430

2003 115.715.090

2004 116.484.271

2005 128.682.326

2006 sd

2007 241.327.321

2008 252.682.542

2009 249.456.822

2010 260.000.000

2011 278.000.000Fuentes: Ministerio de Economía y Hacienda 2009-2012),

Conferencia Episcopal (2006-2008) yhttp://www.portantas.org/index.php/la-financiacion-de-la-

iglesia.htmlFINANCIACIÓN DE LA IGLESIA CATÓLICA Y GASTO PÚBLICO. INFORME FUNDACIÓN 1º DE MAYO. Abril 2012

THE CRISIS ISN´T FOR ALL

TO FINISH …

This process of privatization of the public hides segregation and dismantling of the public schools.

4º

Reflects two actions

The incompetence, slackness and carelessness of the PSOE, as they been in power, to face a total separation of the church and the State.

The intention of the conservative parties to dismantle the public school and encourage the private school, especially the subsidized private schools

From postulates neoliberals and neoconservatives, have developed policies ...

promoted by conservative parties

developed by social democratic parties

They give the impression that they don´t know what they are talking about. It is a deliberate policy, calculated and at times very clear.

It´s about letting the public school starve. It´s not necessary even to attack it with specific measures; they are left to die slowly with associated structural measures, according to them, to the crisis.

What is at stake, not only pedagogical matters, but on a model that has cost efforts to build throughout the twentieth century

TO FINISH with this presentation

The world is the one to buy

Education isn´t for saleEducation has to be

protected

IT´S ALL

Thanks