Joan Mateo: “The Catalan school model aims to develop the skills of a 21st-century citizen”

The vice-rector for Equal Opportunities and Social Action, Maite Vilalta, opened the session, which continued with the conference by Joan Mateo. The professor stated that “difference is not a problem” and that we need to teach about “complexity and uncertainty”. He said the modern knowledge has different features from those of previous periods and that nowadays we have to train “great knowledge managers”. He compared this view with the organic law for the improvement of teaching quality (LOMCE), known as the Wert law, with large and atomized curriculums and external evaluations. He added that if the current government repeals “the toxic elements in LOMCE”, we would go back to the previous legislation, “a law from the 20^th century”.

Mateo went over the future challenges for the school and gave some reflections on which should be the aim of education: for people to “be happy and aware of themselves”. “Education means that everyone can develop their personal growth, it is not an obstacle race”, he said.

After the conference, journalist Maria Àngels Ibáñez, from El Periódico, who acted as chairperson, gave way to the debate, with the following participants: Antoni Tort, lecturer at the University of Vic - Central University of Catalonia; lecturer Juli Palou, from the UB; Pilar Gargallo, president of the Federation of Movements for Pedagogical Renewal of Catalonia (FMRPC); Belén Tascón, president of the Federation of Associations of Studentsʼ Parents in Catalonia (FaPaC), and Igone Azpiroz, lecturer at the Lizardi High School in Zarautz.

Antoni Tort said “learning processes for boys and girls are highly complex mediation processes” and this is why it is “shocking” to talk about indoctrination at schools. “Whoever says this happens is a frustrated indoctrinator”, he noted. In this sense, he condemned “the underestimation of boys and girls, who have criteria on what is happening now”.

Juli Palou focused on the complexity of teacher training. He also highlighted that at the moment, “we talk about innovative schools very quickly”, when it is hard to be so. “There is no innovation without changes from mental frameworks, without a reconceptualization within the teaching team”, he added.

Pilar Gargallo went over the history of the Catalan school from the Franco regime times to now, and how movements of pedagogical renewal came up in Catalonia. She said that “talking about Catalan school means talking about society, a society which we want to be inclusive and democratic”. In this sense, she defined education as “a living thing which has to be part of the territory”.

Belen Tascón reported during her speech that “school is underfunded”. She also remembered there have been cuts which have not been recovered and despite separation due language has been avoided; there is a separation due to income and gender. She also defended the public school against the private one.

Igone Azpiroz gave a general view on the Basque educational system and noted that “we have seen things get serious, autonomy starts shaking” due LOMCE. She told how different language models coexist and claimed for more autonomy regarding the educational centers. Last, she said that the transformation has been “incredible” over the last years, and that there has been “an increase of opportunities for students” when introducing innovation at school.

There will be one more debate:

-        “La política: lʼespai de resolució dels conflictes”, talk by the emeritus professor of Political and Administrative Science at the UAB, Josep Maria Vallès. January 17, 2019, in the Historic Building.

Each session consists of a talk given by a distinguished academic, followed by a roundtable on the topic of the conference. Debates and participation will be published in different volumes of a new collection of Editions and Publications of the UB: Debats UB.