With only a few days to go until the start of the new school year, the education system in Spain is facing problems that They have already seen each other in the private enterprise segment and in that of public officials: the shortage of qualified personnel for the STEM area (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and the aging of teachers, which further aggravates the problem in the future.
Despite the low birth ratesthe school year begins with record numbers, with 8.33 million students and 784,425 teachers. This represents 15,627 more teachers than the previous year. This increase in the number of students and teachers is mainly motivated by the growth of vocational training (FP).
There is a shortage of STEM teachers. Despite this increase in the number of teaching positions for this course, the education system has been facing for years a shortage of teachers in STEM disciplines that require specific technical knowledge. The problem does not originate in the lack of graduates who have studied these courses, but in the professional outlet that they choose when they finish their training.
According to the Latest available data According to the 2021 Salary Structure Survey prepared by the INE, the average annual salary in the financial and insurance sectors was 46,122 euros, while in education, the average salary in 2021 was 28,272 euros. This salary difference, together with greater job stability in the private sector, means that many graduates prefer not to dedicate themselves to teaching and it is becoming increasingly difficult to fill vacancies with specialized training for education.
An impact that is already visible. The shortage of teachers specializing in technical subjects has a direct impact on the quality of teaching in these subjects. as published The Worldthe PISA Report has been responsible for pointing out in its latest edition, with a drop of 15 points in mathematics scores and eight points in science scores.
A report The OECD's report on the prospects for the Spanish education system in 2023, pointed out that the lack of STEM teachers is one of the main obstacles to teaching in Spain. The Government has allocated a budget package of 95 million euros for reinforce teaching in the area of mathematics, but the implementation of the plan itself faces the challenge of a lack of qualified teachers.
Teachers without generational replacement. The problem of teacher shortages also occurs in a context of an inversion of the demographic pyramid and Expansion of students in vocational trainingwhich has grown by 55% in the last decade. This growth is especially seen in technical subjects, where the high rate of job placement and salaries make them the most in-demand training courses.
The OECD report we mentioned earlier already indicated that the average age of teachers in Spain was above the European average and could become a problem of generational change. While it is true that, demographically, a reduction in the student population is approaching, the retirement of teachers is also doing so with greater intensity, replicating the problem that already exists. among officials of public administrations.
21% of secondary school teachers are over 55 years old and in public education, teachers usually retire around the age of 60. This further complicates the problem of the shortage of qualified personnel in education, especially in those areas where specific technical knowledge is required.
A career for STEM teachersTraditionally, many graduates in mathematics and other STEM disciplines opted for teaching. The path to access these positions involved the obligation to take a master's degree in secondary school teaching and, in the case of the public sector, to pass a competitive examination. A path that is too long and discourages many candidates who are tempted by the better salaries in the private sector.
To address this problem, countries such as the United Kingdom have simplified entry requirements and implemented financial incentives and scholarships to attract future STEM teachers. César Coll, Emeritus Professor of Developmental and Educational Psychology at the University of Barcelona, He stated a The Country One of the possible solutions to this problem would be to create specific courses to train secondary school teachers in STEM subjects, similar to the teaching courses for primary and early childhood education that are already offered. In this way, the requirements would be reduced and new teachers would be adequately trained in specific STEM subjects.
Image | Unsplash (Kenny Eliason)
