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

1. Privatization of Public
Education. A Trend in Spain.
A way towards inequality
José Luis Bernal Agudo Universidad Zaragoza
jbernal@unizar.es http://didac.unizar.es/jlbernal/inicial.html

3. 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.

4. Language is never neutral
 Competences
This language form
 Excellence
part of a language
 Results that is been
 Control incorporated at the
 Quality moment into the
 Effort educational
 Talent discourse in a usual
… way

5. 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.

6. It´s necessary to perceive the
privatization processes of public
education to do that visible!
Some of them
are perceived
as natural
Some of them
are hidden in
an evil way

7. 1º
PUBLIC
SCHOOLS AS A
MECHANISM OF
SOCIAL
COHESION
EDUCATION AS A
RIGHT FOR ALL,
SOMETHING NOT
NEGOTIABLE

8. 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”

9. Through public schools…
Education acts as a mechanism
of social cohesion in a free,
tolerant and united society

10. 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
bec
o me Education as a private
s
asset to be used for the
interest of groups with
higher level in education,
companies and economy

11. 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

12. Foreing students
PUBLIC schools Private schools
Subsidized private school
Foreing Foreing Foreing
students students students

13. With privatization one of the most
relevant rights acquired in the XX century
will be cancelled out.
The right of education for all
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 .

14. 2º
WAYS OF
PRIVATIZING
OF THE PUBLIC
ASSETS
NEOLIBERAL AND
NEOCONSERVATIVE
REFERENCES

15. 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

16. 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.

17. 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)

18. Spain
Foundation for Social Studies and Analysis
(FAES)

19. 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.

20. FAES political principles
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)

21. 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)

22. FAES political principles
The new law (LOMCE) is a consequence of these
principles
 School vouchers
 The 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)

23. TWO WAYS OF PRIVATIZATION
Visible (exogen) Hidden (endogen)
 Entry in the private  To incorporate the designs
sector of public of the public schools,
education directly methods and practices of
 Financing of schools the private sector
 New public management

24. 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

25. Neoliberal Neoconservative
Ones wish that the free market shrinking the State all that they can,
others want a State that continues having strength and responsibility.
 The freedom of choice  The contents of
of the school is one of "Education for the
the paradigms, where people" making it similar
personal freedom to those values that,
constitutes a value according to them,
always must prevail.
bigger than any
 The same curriculum is
collective right
imposed for all (increasing
the percentage that the
State controls, up to 75 %
of the total of its contents)

26. 3º
The visible
and the
hidden in
privatization
Analysis of the acting
and measures

27.  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

28. Visible
 Financing of private schools
 Outsourcing school services
(dining, transportation,
extracurricular activities, etc..)
 Outsourcing schools

29. Funding private
schools
Subsidized private schools

30. Three networks
FINANCING
CONTROL AND MANAGEMENT
Private
Private Public
Public
Private
Private
Subsidized
Private private
Schools schools
Public
Public
Public
X Schools

31. 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

32. Features private school
• They receive all from
the market
• High class and some
middle class
• Elitist education

33. Features Subsidized private school
They receive from
• Religious the State and the market
• Autonomy in business and
budget students
performance
• Little State control
• Competition between schools
• The parents choose the
school using three basic
criteria of selection

34. Three basic criteria of selection:
1) proximity of the school
2) family income
3) brothers or sisters already
at the school
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,…

35. Features public school
Democratic participation
Little autonomy in business and
performance
(It tends to change according to
market policies )
State control
Little competition between
schools
(It tends to change according to
market policies )
The parents choose the school
using three basic criteria of
selection

36. Features public school
They receive all from the State
Working class and economically
distressed parts of the
population
Plural education

37. Subsidized private schools
What must be What it is
 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

38. 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

39. 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.

40. 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)

41. 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…".

42. 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 4,6
Prim. 2.795.941 67,6 28,4 4,0
EE 31.987 56,8 42,9 0,3
ESO 1.791.968 65,9 30,6 3,5
PCPI 82.939 77,9 22,0 0,2
BACH 685.100 76,0 9,5 14,5
FP 613.928 77,7 17,6 4,6
Alumnado según titularidad del centro. Curso 2011-2012. Elaboración propia a partir de MECD (2012:4)

43. Outsourcing of public
schools
Subsidized private schools

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

45. Document PP for the
educational pact (2010)
To bind the administrations
to subsidize any private
school that requested it...

46. Examples
In May 2008, the El Álamo school
local government
took the school of
the network of
public schools to
make them
subsidized private
school

47. Examples
 In November 2011 began
the process of privatization
El Carrasquer school
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

48. 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

49. 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 "

50. Hidden
 Management: New Public
Management
 Freedom of choice of school
 Control by results
 Cuts in public school
 Competence programming

51. School choice
a covert form of privatization

52. 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)

53. Control by results
Are judged and judge schools for
academic excellence, a test regarding
academic values

54. 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

55. PISA AND GENERAL
DIAGNOSTIC EVALUATIONS
It´s used as a political tool
There is a political use of
these data: Politicization of
knowledge

56. 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 educativa
basada en la gestión empresarial de la escuela: el caso de Andalucía. Archivos Analíticos de Políticas Educativas, 20 (32).
Lower Upper

57. ACCOUNTABILITY
New law (LOMCE)
3º Primary Education
Now (LOE) 6º Primary Education
General diagnostic PISA
evaluations Students 15 years old
4º Primary Education General diagnostic evaluations
2º Compulsory Secondary 4º Primary Education
Education 2º Compulsory Secondary
Education
PISA
Students 15 years old 4º Compulsory Secondary
Education: Validation / Final
exams
2º Bachillerato: Validation / Final
exams

58. ACCOUNTABILITY
The evaluation criteria will be
Univ
established by the State er sida
d
Government or Autonomous 2º B
Communities Government. ach
iller
4º E
SO
PIS
A
GE
6º P EV NER
r ima AL AL
UA
r ia D
TIO IAG
NS NO
S TIC
3º P
r ima
r ia

59. ACCOUNTABILITY
U ni
These evaluations will address the basic vers
idad
competences of the curriculum, will take
place in both primary and secondary 2º B
ach
iller
education.
The Sectorial Education Conference will
ensure that these evaluations are guided
4º E
SO
by homogeneous criteria
PIS
A
GE
EV NER
6º P AL AL
rima
ria UA DI
TIO AG
NS NO
ST
IC
3º P
rima
ria

60. ACCOUNTABILITY
Since the year 2000, every three years,
a randomly selected group of fifteen- U ni
vers
idad
year-olds take tests in the key subjects:
reading, mathematics and science, with 2º B
ach
iller
focus given to one subject in each year
of assessment
4º E
SO
PIS
GE
EV NER
AL AL
A
6º P UA DI
rima TIO AG
ria NS NO
ST
IC
3º P GE
rima EV NER
ria AL AL
UA DI
TIO AG
NS NO
ST
IC

61. STUDENT EVALUATIONS
Univ
er sida
d
The degree of acquisition of 2º B
ach
basic skills in math and iller
language communication.
Serve to evaluate getting
4º E
held back in third grade SO
6º P
r ima
r ia
3º P
ri m a
ry

62. STUDENT EVALUATIONS
It will check the degree of Univ
er sida
acquisition of basic skills and d
targets of the stage. 2º B
ach
Its outcome will have iller
informative and guidance
character
4º E
SO
6º P
rima
ry
3º P
rima
ria

63. STUDENT EVALUATIONS
To obtain the title they will Univ
er sida
have to pass this final exam. d
It will be an external 2º B
ach
examination school iller
4º E
SO
1º Final exams
6º P
rima
ria
3º P
rima
ria

64. STUDENT EVALUATIONS
To obtain the degree of
Univ
Bachelor and access to the er sida
d
University they must pass 2º B
this final exam a c h il
ler 2ª Final exams
4º E
SO
6º P
rima
ria
3º P
rima
ria

65. 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)

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

67. 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 teachers
 Lowering the teacher/student ratio
 Extension of compulsory school age,
 Universal schooling from three years old
 Access to higher education for everybody

68. 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. .

69. FIVE KEY CUTS

70. 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

71. Assault on rural school, eliminating
rural school teachers and schools
An example. Rural education (Aragón), Year 2012-13
Up 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

72. 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

73. 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

74. 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%

75. Less funding 2013
Budget 2013 Education
-10,25%
over the previous year

76. Schools Management:
New Public Management
Managing public schools according to
the parameters of private
enterprise

77. 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.

78. Three changes in the new law: LOMCE
An advisory School Board
it 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

79. Quality schools
 The head teacher may  For excellence: High
establish specific schools for excellence
requirements and in Madrid. Schools of
merits of the positions Excellence and
offered civil servants Excellence
Classrooms

80. Competences and
education
Competencies has mixed with the
obsession of control results, a perfect
blend to introduce learning linked to the
economic and business

81. 4º
WITH THE
CHURCH HAVE
ENCOUNTERED
An important
variable in Spain

82. 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.

83. 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 278.000
Otros asignación directa PGE 4.350
Subsidies to schools 3.900.000
Religion teacher salary 700.000
Atención Sanitaria directa 700.000
Capellanes diversas instituciones públicas 25.000
Cáritas 81.044
Manos Unidas 10.304
Total 5.698.699
FINANCIACIÓN DE LA IGLESIA CATÓLICA Y GASTO PÚBLICO. INFORME FUNDACIÓN 1º DE MAYO.
Abril 2012

84. 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

85. 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

86. 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 .

87. 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
THE CRISIS ISN´T
2008 252.682.542
2009 249.456.822
FOR ALL
2010 260.000.000
Fuentes: Ministerio de Economía y Hacienda 2009-2012),
2011 278.000.000 Conferencia Episcopal (2006-2008) y
http://www.portantas.org/index.php/la-financiacion-de-la-
iglesia.html
FINANCIACIÓN DE LA IGLESIA CATÓLICA Y GASTO PÚBLICO. INFORME FUNDACIÓN 1º DE MAYO. Abril 2012

88. 4º
TO FINISH …
This process of
privatization of the
public hides
segregation and
dismantling of the
public schools.

89. 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

90. From postulates neoliberals and
neoconservatives, have developed
policies ...
 promoted by  developed by social
conservative democratic parties
parties

91.  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.

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

93. TO FINISH with this presentation

94. The world is
the one to buy

96. Education isn´t for sale
Education has to be
protected

97. IT´S ALL
Thanks