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Hannah deLeon
GCU 114
10/27/15
Report on Education in Spain

Education is one of the most powerful instruments for reducing poverty and inequality
and lays a foundation for sustained economic growth. (Education 2015). Education is seen as
the solution for many of the worlds solvable problems; and while they seem easy to solve in
theory, many countries, including Spain, struggle to develop their education system in such a
profitable fashion. The Global Education First Initiative is a development of the UN Secretary
General, to help kick-start progress in the field of education. The GEFI has three areas in
education that are a priority: putting every child in school, improve quality of learning, and
fostering global citizenship (GEFI). Spain is continually working to meet these goals through
their constant attempts to better their education system.
Schooling is funded by the state and is compulsory- required- from ages six to sixteen, in
accordance with the Fundamental Law of Education (Guide to Education 2015). Students can
choose to either move on to high school or enroll in a vocational school; and one can only go to a
university if they finish high school. There are three types of schools in Spain: public schools,
private schools, and state-funded private schools. Primary school in Spain is tailored for ages
six to twelve, while Compulsory Second Education lasts from age twelve to sixteen. Figure 1
shows the basic structure of education in Spain and the different routes you can go after
compulsory education. The goal of Primary School is to give kids a common and solid basic

education in culture, oral expression, reading, writing, and arithmetic (Spanish Education 2015).
As of 2012, however, according a OECD survey, they fall below average in the areas of math,
reading, and science; and Spain is currently ranked at 33 out of 65 (Guide to Education 2015). So
while their goal is to give students a solid foundation in these areas, they fall behind many other
countries in their ineffectiveness to do so.
Figure 1:

The Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) discuss the
various data collected in their article Education at a Glance 2013. They state that the
percentage of young adults that keep on studying after finishing compulsory education has been
growing at a faster pace than the OECD average (OECD 2013, 1). This means that, after 16
years of age, more and more young adults are deciding to go on to either high school or a trade
school. While over 90% of children ages 3-6 are enrolled in schools, 86% of young adults ages

15-19 were also enrolled; which is an increase since 2008s poll of 81%. Although students are
now spending more time in school, Spain still ranks below the national average of time spent in
education; 6.4 years verses 7.1 years (OECD 2013, 1). Figure 2 shows high school graduation
rates across various countries. Comparing both the Primary Education and higher level education
systems in Spain are difficult because more students attend Primary School anyways because it is
mandatory, while higher education is not. It has been difficult for Spain to find ways to keep
students engage in school all the way into higher level education.
Figure 2:

Vocational schools in Spain are used as a way to keep young adults engaged in school so
as to avoid dropouts. Vocational Education and Training (VET) refers to these vocational
schools. In Spain, 14% have a general upper secondary education while only 8% have upper
secondary VET education, and even then, both of these statistics are below the OECD average of
12% for the former and 32% for the latter. (OECD 2013, 2). More adults have just a regular high
school degree instead of a vocational one, meaning that many adults are unprepared to enter the
workforce because they do not possess a certain skill. Figure 3 shows the general unemployment
rate in Spain, and it has steadily risen within the last few years. Citizenship education refers to
the preparation of young people for their roles and responsibilities as citizens and, in particular,
the role of education in that preparatory process (Kerr 1999). Global citizenship basically
means the responsibilities they have as citizens of the world, not just their own countries. Global
citizenship relates to vocational schools in the fact that, although these student will not continue
on to a university for higher education, they are being trained to join the workforce and become a
responsible contributor to society.

Spain has made some noticeable strides towards reaching the Global Education First
Initiatives goals for education. They have made successful attempts to put every child in school,
due to the fact that primary schooling is mandatory. However, they need to work on way s to
keep kids interested in going to school so that they will either choose to move on to high school
or join a vocational school. They also strive to improve quality of learning, which is an aspect
that they still need to work on. Fostering global citizenship, is the last priority. Spain also needs
some work in this area; they have vocational school that teach them how to be working and
contributing pieces of society, but they need to get more people to attend. Overall, Spain has
some issues with their education system, but they are working hard to try and fix them and bring
a better education to the next generation.

A guide to education in Spain. (2015). Retrieved October 28, 2015, from

http://www.expatica.com/es/education/schools/Education-in-Spain_103110.html
About the Global Education First Initiative. (n.d.). Retrieved October 28, 2015, from
http://www.globaleducationfirst.org/about.html
Education at a Glance 2013 (Summary in English). (2013). Education at a Glance 2013
Education at a Glance, 1-2. Retrieved October 28, 2015, from
http://www.oecd.org/edu/Spain_EAG2013 Country Note.pdf
Education in Spain - Spanish School System | don Quijote. (2015). Retrieved October 28, 2015,
from http://www.donquijote.org/culture/spain/society/customs/education-in-spain
Kerr, D. (1999). Citizenship education: An international comparison (pp. 200-227).
Qualifications and Curriculum Authority.

Figure 1: http://ed222spaineducation.weebly.com/uploads/2/4/5/6/24561909/1384490453.png
Figure 2: http://www.nsf.gov/statistics/seind08/c1/fig01-24.gif
Figure 3: http://sage.esu-online.org/display111