More reading and writing and fewer screens. Starting in the next academic year 2025-26, the school curricula in the Balearic Islands will change and will focus on basic knowledge to ensure that the students of the archipelago – who for years have been at the bottom in academic results – obtain better oral and written communication skills and greater competence in mathematics.
The Balearic Islands are one of the autonomous communities that teaches the least Mathematics during school hours. In Castilla y León there are 28 and a half hours in all primary schools, while in the Balearic archipelago there are only 16. Therefore, they will be increased to 24 hours starting next year, so that the study of Mathematics will go from 5 to 8 hours per week in the first cycle, from 6 to 8 in the second, and from 5 to 8 in the third.
The Balearic Government chaired by the popular Marga Prohens has presented this Tuesday the draft of the new school curricula in early childhood, primary, ESO and high school education, which provide for an increase in teaching hours for Mathematics, Foreign Languages, Artistic Education and Knowledge of the environment in primary school and Mathematics in secondary school.
The Minister of Education, Antoni Vera, has highlighted that the proposals in this draft are innovative and that they mark a “significant” change. The objective is to improve essential learning and guarantee a “solid” base of knowledge and skills.
Changes in Infant and Primary
In Early Childhood, students will reinforce oral communication, reading, writing and mathematics skills, and the use of screens will be limited. Teachers will be able to use digital devices from the last year of early childhood education, but not students.
In Primary, the hours dedicated to mathematics, foreign language, artistic education (in the first two cycles) and environmental knowledge (in the third cycle) increase. In short, learning reading, writing and mathematics is prioritized, separating digital competence from the intensive use of screens.
Changes in ESO and Baccalaureate
In ESO there will be more hours of mathematics in second and fourth years. Two optional subjects are created in the first and second years of ESO to reinforce Catalan, Spanish, foreign languages and mathematics. There will also be a new elective called Digital and Multimedia Environments.
In Baccalaureate, the hours of modality and elective subjects increase in the first year. In addition, the Research Work subject becomes an elective, as required by the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports. It will be renamed Research, Analysis and Creativity Work and can be taken in the first year of high school. The electives of European Union and Business Project are incorporated.
History and culture will be developed “in greater depth”
Another novelty affects the subject of History and culture of the Balearic Islands, which will be developed “in greater depth.” All of these new developments will imply an increase from 31 to 33 weekly teaching hours in the first year of high school, equaling first and second with 33 teaching hours. In the case of second, the optional Physical activity, leisure and health will be included. The Research Work subject currently taken in high school will become an optional subject in first year, as indicated by the Ministry of Education.
The new draft also limits the use of screens in children and primary schools. In early childhood, it proposes only allowing the use of screens by the teacher in the last cycle of the stage. In primary school, although no specific restrictions are placed, a difference is established between digital competence and “excessive use of screens.”
According to Vera, the curricular adaptation aims to implement measures to improve the results of the Program for International Student Assessment (PISA) tests, as well as the Timss tests and other assessment tests.
Students from the Islands are at the bottom in educational results and have led the school dropout rate for years. The Balearic president, the popular Marga Prohens, promised that the classrooms would recover “the search for excellence and the culture of effort as values of the educational model.”
Reduction of bureaucratic burden
Another of the demands that are addressed in the new curricula is the reduction of the bureaucratic burden to facilitate teaching work. On the other hand, greater autonomy is granted to educational centers. This autonomy translates into a curricular structure that favors programming and adaptation to the reality of each center and group of students. At the same time, basic knowledge is specified and evaluation criteria are clarified in accordance with basic state regulations.
For the first time, more than 100 teachers from all stages and islands have participated in the development of the new curricula. In addition, the 32 proposals made by the group of experts and included in the analysis reports and proposals for the improvement of the educational system have been incorporated.
The Ministry of Education has sent the draft to the members of the teaching boards and in the coming days it will be put on public display. During the month of February the School Council will make the final contributions and the new curricula could be approved between May and June.
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