Madrid, Spain, Sep 14, 2007 / 09:12 am
The National Catholic Confederation of Associations of Parents of Students is calling for the resignation of Spain’s Minister of Education and Science, Mercedes Cabrera, over her incompetence in addressing the decline in education in the country.
The confederation’s call for Cabrera’s resignation came after a decision to allow students to advance to the next grade even if they fail four subjects.
In a statement, the confederation explained that the measure adopted by Minister Cabrera demonstrated her “incompetence” in providing a solution for Spain’s failing schools, which rank last in Europe.
According to the organization, lowering the demands on students is “bad for everyone.” Students are less motivated to excel academically and teachers feel undermined and unappreciated. Parents are discouraged in their effort to teach kids the value of studying hard. The confederation also said the policy would result in more kids having to repeat grades and that repeating students would be mixed with students “who take their studies seriously.”
“A minister who does not have decorum to acknowledge her ineptitude in combating the failure of schools and in proposing realistic measures that are based on effort, as other European countries like France and Great Britain have done, and who seems more interested in indoctrinating than in educating, has no other solution than to resign,” the confederation said.