Focus on Spanish education and Spanish investment immigration: On the 17th, the Spanish government passed the controversial education reform bill that had previously attracted significant attention.
This bill is also publicly referred to as the "Wert Bill," named after the current Spanish Minister of Education. The education sector in Spain had previously opposed the passage of this bill.
On the 17th, Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría stated that the national education system is in urgent need of reform. She described the passage of this bill as an "important action that can improve the quality of education in Spain and the employment situation of young people."
A major innovation in the bill is the introduction of national assessment exams at the completion stages of primary, secondary, and high school, along with an additional round of periodic testing in the third grade of primary school to identify student issues early. The assessment exams for secondary and high school will become a necessary condition for obtaining diplomas at these stages.
On the other hand, according to the new bill, the Ministry of Education will extend the duration of secondary school from three years to four years, with the fourth year serving as a guiding phase for further studies. During this year, students will be divided into two groups: those who continue with high school studies and those who receive vocational training. In terms of vocational training, the Ministry of Education will establish a mandatory two-year basic vocational training course.
The new bill also expands the Ministry of Education's authority over the content of common subjects, while allowing regions and schools the freedom to develop non-core courses. The weight of core subjects such as mathematics, language, and English will increase at all stages of learning, while the grades from religious studies will also be allowed to count towards the average score and affect scholarship applications.
Spanish Minister of Education Wert emphasized that this bill will ensure the educational level of citizens by reducing dropout rates and further modernizing vocational training. Statistics show that Spain's early dropout rate reaches 25%, which is twice the EU average. Additionally, the youth unemployment rate in Spain currently stands at 57%, with 23.7% of young people aged 15 to 29 neither studying nor working.