Spain – A life-saver for the student who is deemed a failure.

04 January 2017

(ANS - Córdoba) –  It is only to be expected that a bored teacher will bore the students, and an enthusiastic teacher will generate enthusiasm.  A week after starting school one 14-year-old girl from the Centre in Cordoba said, "Now I like getting up in the morning, I get out of bed happy, even if I have had a bad dream.’’ And one of her companions said, ‘’Last year I was often absent, or I used to doze off in class. I avoided answering questions and I rebelled against the teachers in the school. Now I get up happy."

By Paco Puentes, - El País

This new educational initiative is run by the Don Bosco Foundation.  With the approval of the Andalusian Educational Inspectorate, it offers different forms of schooling without requiring students to attend formal secondary education. Thirteen young people from Cordoba who come from complex backgrounds are attending courses at the Centre to enable them to get back into academic education or vocational training and rebuild their lives as people.

The Spanish education system has the highest proportion of school leavers in the whole European Union and it does not always find appropriate responses to reverse the decline.  These first and second chance Centres are run with a very individualized pedagogical model based on reinforcement of the basic skills needed for work.

This is a model designed for autonomous communities that is being adapt to different educational regulations and specific policies.

These centres are usually attended by children from complicated backgrounds. They are unable to cope with the hectic pace of the official curriculum and get lost in the large number of students. Even remedial classes are not enough to help them cope.

Students are not able to pay the same attention in the classroom if their family is disrupted, or they do not have the necessary language skills, or they do not have enough to eat and do not get enough sleep. "The system takes it for granted that everything is fine. Students are not allowed to feel bad. If there are upsetting circumstances that prevent them from achieving their goals, they are made to feel different and begin to believe that they are a failure. "

This second chance is a lifesaver for students who fail. It is run by the Don Bosco Foundation and is an invaluable aid to many young people.

Source: El Pais http://ccaa.elpais.com/ccaa/2016/12/21/andalucia/1482307842_315416.html

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