Transcript Diapositiva 1

Spanish Education for Citizenship: an assault on freedom of education
and conscience
CONTENTS
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Four years of an everlasting strugle.
An anomaly in Europe
A strong social conflict
The spread of concientious objection
Contradictions in Court
The conflict arrives at the ECHR
Future at a glance
1. FOUR YEARS OF AN EVERLASTING STRUGGLE
1. FOUR YEARS OF AN EVERLASTING STRUGGLE
• In the context of a breaking down educational system.
• The most important and relevant change introduced by the
socialist government in their educative law of 2006.
• Under the protection of Recomendation 12/2002 EC .
• Four both compulsory and evaluable school subjects for children
from 10 to 17 years old and all kinds of schools.
• No consensus for its implantation.
2. AN ANOMALY IN EUROPE
2. AN ANOMALY IN EUROPE
• The Spanish subjects go further from the contents or the
objectives of the European pattern.
• Designed to shape the conscience of children in a particular
ideology.
• Invading sexual and affective privacy.
• Methods of grading which include the grading of behaviour
contradicting the right of children and parents to their own
privacy.
3. A STRONG SOCIAL CONFLICT
3. A STRONG SOCIAL CONFLICT
• The social conflict has spread to reach every area of the
educational community and Spanish public opinion.
• Division among politycal parties and a strong rejection from the
Catholic Church authorities.
• An important intellectual debate on the role of family and on
the State limits on moral education.
4. THE SPREAD OF CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION
4. THE SPREAD OF CONSCIENTIOUS OBJECTION
• 55.000 conscientious objections in 3 years.
• More than 70 parents associations to inform, support and help
parents to fight for their right to choose the moral education of
their children.
• Every year more than 1000 students remain outside of class
during EfC lessons in spite of the Education Administration’s
discrimination and threats.
5. CONTRADICTIONS IN COURT
5. CONTRADICTIONS IN COURT
• 2300 judicial complaints.
• An 84% of the veredicts rendered by the regional Courts issued
rulings favouring parents.
• In February 2009, the Supreme Court, deeply divided over the
issue, rendered four judgements which denied the parents the
right to object.
• After these four Supreme Court Judgments the courts in Aragon
and Castilla y León differed from the Supreme Court and issued
rulings favouring parents and it highlighted the "high ethical,
moral and ideological weight” of these subjects.
• The case is now in the Constitutional Court.
6. THE CONFLICT ARRIVES AT THE ECHR
6. THE CONFLICT ARRIVES AT THE ECHR
• 321complaints against the Kingdom of Spain.
• Violations of the rights contained in the European Convention
on Human Rights:
– Right to privacy of the children,
– Right of freedom of thought, conscience and religion,
– Right of parents to educate their children according to their
own convictions, and the
– principle of non-discrimination
7. MIRANDO AL FUTURO
FUTUREATATAAGLANCE
GLANCE
7.7.FUTURE
7. FUTURE AT A GLANCE
• A key issue for our fundamental rights, especially after the
introduction of compulsory sex education (promoted in new
Abortion law)
• Need to finish with objectors (children and parents) prosecution
• Need to redesign Spanish EfC according to National Constitution
and European recommendations
• Importance of a European alliance for freedom of education
Thank you!