Madrid, Spain, Nov 6, 2005 / 22:00 pm
The list of family and educational associations that are joining together on November 12 in Madrid to protest a new educational law, which is scheduled to be up for vote soon in the Spanish parliament, continues to grow, as word announcing the protest has spread across that country.
The rejection by Parliament of amendments to the bill submitted by pro-family congressmen drove several organizations, including a Federation for men and women religious involved in education, to announce their support for the march.
Leaders of the diverse associations, representing almost 1.5 million students and 60,000 teachers in over 2,000 schools, called on parents, teachers and students to participate in the November 12 protest. “Education should not become an instrument of the government in power to transform society; rather it should be placed at the service of families,” they said.
According to a survey of the schools carried out by the Spanish Confederation of Educational Centers, 99% of school personnel are in agreement with the protest and 80% planned to attend the protest.
In a statement the Confederation called on the Spanish government to reconsider the law, saying it was “dictatorial” and “unintelligent” for persons in authority to ignore the opposition to the law of those who would be charged with implementing it.
The Spanish Federation of Large Families also announced it would join the protest, saying “the future of our children is at stake” and that “the state is meddling in an affair that belongs to families.”