Ministry of Education (Spain)

The Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports (MEFPD) is the department of the Government of Spain responsible for proposing and carrying out the government policy on education and vocational training, including all the teachings of the education system except university education, without prejudice to the competences of the National Sports Council in matters of sports education. Likewise, it is also the responsibility of this Department the promotion of cooperation actions and, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the promotion of international relations in the field of non-university education.[3]

Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports
Ministerio de Educación, Formación Profesional y Deportes

Headquarters of the Ministry of Education
Agency overview
FormedMarch 31, 1900; 124 years ago (1900-03-31) (as Ministry of Public Instruction and Fine Arts)
November 22, 2023 (as Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports)
Preceding agency
TypeMinistry
JurisdictionGovernment of Spain
Headquarters36, Alcalá Street
Madrid, Spain
Employees8,532 (2019)[note 1][1]
Annual budget 6.4 billion, 2023[2]
Minister responsible
Agency executives
  • Alejandro Tiana, Secretary of State
  • Clara Sanz López, Secretary-General
  • Fernando Gurrea Casamayor, Under-Secretary
Child agencies
  • State School Council
  • Superior Council of Artistic Teaching
  • State Observatory for School Coexistence
WebsiteMinistry of Education (in Spanish)

The Education in Spain is established as a decentralized system in which the regions have powers over the basic and secondary education while the central government establishes the general basis of the system and it is responsible for the tertiary education.[4] Currently, the Education Ministry has no authority over universities because it is the responsibility of the Ministry of Universities. As of 2018, there are more than 550,000 school teachers and more than 7,000 university professors.[1]

The MEFP is headed by the Minister of Education, who is appointed by the King of Spain at request of the Prime Minister. The Minister is assisted by the Secretary of State for Education, the Secretary-General for Vocational Training (with the rank of Under-Secretary) and the Under-Secretary of the Ministry. In addition, in order to coordinate the education system it exists the Sectoral Conference on Education that is composed by the Education Minister and the Regional Ministers of Education.[5]

Since July 2021 the current minister is Pilar Alegría, from the Spanish Socialist Workers Party.[6]

History

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Early period

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The Ministry of Education was created during the regency of Maria Christina of Austria by 1900 Budget Act.[7] However, the government policy on education appeared time before. Section 369 of the Constitution of 1812 created the Directorate-General for Studies for the Inspection of Public Teaching.[8] Thirteen years later the Directorate-General for Studies acquired the name of Inspectorate-General for Public Instruction and, in 1834 it recovers its original denomination. The Royal Decree of May 13, 1846, change its name to Directorate-General for Public Instruction.

It depended on many departments, going through the Secretariat of the Dispatch of Grace and Justice under the reign of Ferdinand VII; the Secretariat of the Dispatch of Development (later called of the Interior) in 1832 with powers on public instruction, universities, economic societies, schools, Royal Academies, Primary Schools and Conservatories of Art and music; the Secretariat of the Dispatch of the Governance of the Realm in 1835 and Secretariat of the Dispatch of Commerce, Instruction and Public Works in 1847.

Since 1855, these responsibilities returned to the Ministry of Development and stayed that way until 1900. During this 45 years, the Directorate-General for Public Instruction assumed powers on Culture and it was divided in offices: universities; high schools; basic schools; archives, libraries and museums; fine arts and development; Accounting and the Intellectual and Industrial Property Bulletin.[7]

Late period

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Antonio García Alix, first Minister of Education.
Photograph by Kaulak

In 1900, the Ministry of Development split into two ministries, being one of them the Ministry of Public Instruction and Fine Arts. This ministry, that would maintain its denomination until the Civil War, it was driven by prime minister Francisco Silvela who appointed Antonio García Alix as the first Education Minister. PM Silvela had assumed the office a year before and after the disaster of the 1898, it was needed a cut of the government expenditure.

In order to comply with this, in April Silvela reshuffled the Cabinet suppressing the Ministry of Overseas[9] —which lost the sense of its existence after the loss of the last colonies— and the Ministry of Development, creating in its place the Ministry of Public Instruction and of Agriculture.

With the premiership of the Count of Romanones it would begin to shape a model of Ministry with timid regenerationist airs.[10] Initially, it had four sections: Universities and Institutes; First Teaching and Normal Schools; Fine arts; and Civil Constructions and Special Schools, whose work consisted in the promotion of public and private education in its different classes and degrees, the promotion of science and letters, Fine Arts, Archives, Libraries and Museums. It was also part of the ministry the Directorate-General for the Geographical and Statistical Institute.[11]

Throughout those years, the Department widened its structure, with the creation of the Directorate-General for Primary Education (1911) and the Directorate-General for Fine Arts (1915). It was also at this time that the current headquarters were built on Alcalá Street 36 in Madrid.

In Second Republic, the Department assumed the competence on Vocational Training (until then dependent of Labour) and the Directorate-General for Technical and Superior Education is created. Briefly, between May 1937 and March 1939, the ministry merged with the Ministry of Health.[12] After the victory of Franco, the Franco regime change its name to Ministry of National Education and the Department assumed the management of the Spanish and Maria Guerrero theaters, through the so-called National Council of Theaters, which in 1951 was ceded to the newly created Ministry of Information and Tourism.

During this period, the Spanish National Research Council was also created within the Ministry. Through Law 35/1966, of May 31, the Department changed its name to Ministry of Education and Science, which would last three decades. According to statements by the education minister Manuel Lora-Tamayo, it was intended, following recommendations of the Council of Europe and the OECD, to enhance the scientific and research work of the Spanish Administration and put it in direct relation with the tertiary education. An Undersecretariat for Higher Education and Research was also created.

Democracy

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During the reign of Juan Carlos I, the Spanish transition to democracy started and started the specialization of the Administration by creating new ministries for specific work areas. In this sense, in 1977 the Ministry of Culture was created assuming the Directorate-General for Artistic and Cultural Heritage. In 1979 it was created the Ministry of Universities and Research assuming those functions but was suppressed in 1981. In 1990, the National Sports Council was integrated in the Ministry.

After 1996, both Education and Culture merge again and it was created the Secretariats of State for Universities, Research and Development and for Culture, as well as the General Secretariat for Education and Vocational Training. However, under the second term of José María Aznar (2000–2004), Education loses the research competences for the benefit of the new Ministry of Science and Innovation.

In 2004, the new government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero recovered the classic name of the Ministry of Education and Science. Again, Culture acquires ministerial rank and Science and Research return to Education. Only for four years, because in 2008 the Ministry of Science and Innovation was created assuming the responsibilities on University Education and Science. In return, the Ministry of Education is assigned the competence on Social Policy. This situation is maintained for one year: In 2009 the functions on tertiary education are returned to Education and the Social Policy goes to Health.

In the first government of Mariano Rajoy, since December 22, 2011, the Ministry of Education is merged again with Culture in the new Department of Education, Culture and Sport.[13] After the motion of no confidence against Rajoy of 2018 and the formation of the new government of Pedro Sanchez in June 2018, the Ministry again broke away from Culture and also loses competences on universities, in favor of the Ministry of Science. It is now called the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, MEFP.[3] In 2020, some responsibilities of the Ministry of Labour on vocational training in the labour market were transferred to the MEFP itself was boosted by promoting the Directorate-General for Training to General Secretariat.

Structure

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Pilar Alegría, current Education Minister.

The current structure of the Department of Education is:[14]

  • The Secretariat of State for Education.
    • The Directorate-General for Evaluation and Territorial Cooperation
      • The Deputy Directorate-General for Academic Organization
      • The Deputy Directorate-General for Territorial Cooperation and Educational Innovation
      • The National Institute for Educational Evaluation
      • The National Institute for Educational Technologies and Teacher Training
    • The Directorate-General for Educational Planning and Management
      • The Deputy Directorate-General for Scholarships, Study Aid and Educational Promotion
      • The Foreign Education Unit
      • The Deputy Directorate-General for Centers and Programs
      • The Deputy Directorate-General for Education Inspection
  • The General Secretariat for Vocational Training
    • The Directorate-General for Planning, Innovation and Management of Vocational Training
      • The Deputy Directorate-General for Programs and Management
      • The Deputy Directorate-General for Centers and Entrepreneurship
      • The Center for Innovation and High-Performance Technique on Vocational Training
    • The Deputy Directorate-General for Vocational Training Organization
    • The Deputy Directorate-General for Orientation and Lifelong Learning
    • The Deputy Directorate-General for Evaluation and Quality
  • The National Sports Council (CSD)
    • The Directorate-General for Sports.
      • The Deputy Directorate-General for High Competition
      • The Deputy Directorate-General for Sports Promotion and Innovation
      • The Deputy Directorate-General for Women and Sport
      • The Deputy Directorate-General for the Sport Legal Regime
      • The General Secretariat
      • The Deputy Directorate-General for Sport Sciences
    • The President's Cabinet
    • The Deputy Directorate-General for Professional Sport and Financial Control
    • The Press Office
    • The Spanish Anti-Doping Agency
  • The Undersecretariat of Education, Vocational Training and Sports
    • The Technical General Secretariat
      • The Deputy Technical General Secretariat
      • The Deputy Directorate-General for Appeals and Court Relations
      • The Deputy Directorate-General for Statistics and Studies
      • The Deputy Directorate-General for Citizen Services, Documentation and Publications
    • The Budget Office
    • The Administrative Office
    • The Deputy Directorate-General for Personnel
    • The Deputy Directorate-General for Information and Communications Technologies
    • The Deputy Directorate-General for Economic Management and the European Social Fund
    • The Inspectorate-General of Services

List of Ministers

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Regency of María Cristina for Alfonso XIII (1885-1902)

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Took officeLeft officeNameParty
April 18, 1900March 6, 1901Antonio García Alix (1)
March 6, 1901March 19, 1902Álvaro de Figueroa y Torres (1)

Reign of Alfonso XIII (1902–1923)

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Took officeLeft officeNameParty
May 17, 1902December 6, 1902Álvaro de Figueroa y Torres (1)Liberal
December 6, 1902July 20, 1903Manuel Allendesalazar y Muñoz (1)Conservador
July 20, 1903December 5, 1903Gabino Bugallal Araújo (1)Liberal
December 5, 1903December 16, 1904Lorenzo Domínguez Pascual (1)Conservador
December 16, 1904June 23, 1905Juan de la Cierva y Peñafiel (1)
June 23, 1905October 31, 1905Andrés Mellado y Fernández (1)Liberal
October 31, 1905December 1, 1905Manuel de Eguilior y Llaguno (1)Liberal
December 1, 1905June 9, 1906Vicente Santamaría de Paredes (1)Liberal
June 9, 1906July 6, 1906Alejandro San Martín y Satrústegui (1)Liberal
July 6, 1906November 30, 1906Amalio Gimeno y Cabañas (1)
November 30, 1906December 4, 1906Pedro Rodríguez de la Borbolla (1)
December 4, 1906January 25, 1907Amalio Gimeno y Cabañas (1)
January 25, 1907October 21, 1909Faustino Rodríguez San Pedro (1)
October 21, 1909February 9, 1910Antonio Barroso Castillo (1)Liberal
February 9, 1910June 9, 1910Álvaro de Figueroa y Torres (1)
June 9, 1910January 2, 1911Julio Burell y Cuéllar (1)Liberal
January 2, 1911April 3, 1911Amós Salvador Rodrigáñez (1)
April 3, 1911March 12, 1912Amalio Gimeno y Cabañas (1)
March 12, 1912December 31, 1912Santiago Alba Bonifaz (1)
December 31, 1912June 13, 1913Antonio López Muñoz (1)
June 13, 1913October 27, 1913Joaquín Ruiz Jiménez (1)Liberal
October 27, 1913December 11, 1914Francisco Bergamín García (1)
January 4, 1915October 25, 1915Saturnino Esteban Miguel y Collantes (1)
October 25, 1915December 9, 1915Rafael Andrade Navarrete (1)
December 9, 1915April 20, 1917Julio Burell y Cuéllar (1)Liberal
April 20, 1917June 11, 1917José Francos Rodríguez (1)
June 11, 1917November 3, 1917Rafael Andrade Navarrete (1)
November 3, 1917March 2, 1918Felipe Rodés Baldrich (1)
March 2, 1918March 21, 1918Luis Silvela Casado (1)
March 23, 1918October 10, 1918Santiago Alba Bonifaz (1)
October 10, 1918November 9, 1918Álvaro de Figueroa y Torres (1)
November 9, 1918December 5, 1918Julio Burell y Cuéllar (1)Liberal
December 5, 1918April 15, 1919Joaquín Salvatella Gisbert (1)
April 15, 1919July 19, 1919César Silió y Cortés (1)
July 19, 1919December 12, 1919José del Prado Palacio (1)Conservador
December 12, 1919May 5, 1920Natalio Rivas Santiago (1)
May 5, 1920September 1, 1920Luis Espada Guntín (1)
September 1, 1920December 29, 1920Vicente Cabeza de Vaca (1)
December 29, 1920March 12, 1921Tomás Montejo y Rica (1)
March 12, 1921August 13, 1921Francisco Aparicio y Ruiz (1)
August 14, 1921April 1, 1922César Silió y Cortés (1)
April 1, 1922November 8, 1922Tomás Montejo y Rica (1)
November 8, 1922December 5, 1922César Silió y Cortés (1)

Dictadura de Primo de Rivera (1923–1931)

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Took officeLeft officeNameParty
December 3, 1925January 28, 1930Eduardo Callejo de la Cuesta (1)
January 28, 1930February 24, 1930Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart y Falcó (1)
February 24, 1930February 18, 1931Elías Tormo y Monzó (1)
February 18, 1931April 14, 1931José Gascón y Marín (1)

II Republic (1931–1939)

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Took officeLeft officeNameParty
April 14, 1931December 16, 1931 Marcelino Domingo Sanjuán (1)PRRS
December 16, 1931June 12, 1933Fernando de los Ríos Urruti (1)PSOE
June 12, 1933September 12, 1933Francisco Barnés Salinas (1)PRRS
September 12, 1933December 16, 1933Domingo Barnés Salinas (1)Indep.
December 16, 1933March 3, 1934José Pareja Yébenes (1)PRR
March 3, 1934April 28, 1934Salvador de Madariaga Rojo (1)Indep.
April 28, 1934December 29, 1934Filiberto Villalobos González (1)PLD
December 29, 1934April 3, 1935Joaquín Dualde Gómez (1)PLD
April 3, 1935May 6, 1935Ramón Prieto Bances (1)Indep.
May 6, 1935September 25, 1935Joaquín Dualde Gómez (1)PLD
September 25, 1935October 29, 1935Juan José Rocha García (1)PRR
October 29, 1935December 14, 1935Luis Bardají López (1)PRR
December 14, 1935December 30, 1935Manuel Becerra Fernández (1)PRR
December 30, 1935February 19, 1936Filiberto Villalobos González (1)PCNR
February 19, 1936May 13, 1936Marcelino Domingo Sanjuán (1)IR
May 13, 1936July 19, 1936Francisco Barnés Salinas (1)IR
July 19, 1936July 19, 1936Marcelino Domingo Sanjuán (1)IR
July 19, 1936September 4, 1936Francisco Barnés Salinas (1)IR
September 4, 1936May 17, 1937Jesús Hernández Tomás (1)PCE
May 17, 1937April 5, 1938Jesús Hernández Tomás (2)PCE
April 5, 1938April 1, 1939Segundo Blanco González (2)CNT

Francoism (1936–1975)

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Took officeLeft officeNameParty
October 3, 1936January 30, 1938José María Pemán Pemartín (3)
January 30, 1938August 9, 1939Pedro Sainz Rodríguez (4)
August 9, 1939July 18, 1951José Ibáñez Martín (4)
July 18, 1951February 16, 1956Joaquín Ruiz-Giménez Cortés (4)
February 16, 1956July 10, 1962Jesus Rubio García-Mina (4)
July 10, 1962April 18, 1968Manuel Lora-Tamayo Martín (4)
April 18, 1968June 9, 1973José Luis Villar Palasí (6)
June 9, 1973January 3, 1974Julio Rodríguez Martínez (5)
January 3, 1974December 12, 1975Cruz Martínez Esteruelas (5)

Reign of Juan Carlos I (born 1975)

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Took officeLeft officeNamePartyCabinet
December 12, 1975July 5, 1976Carlos Robles Piquer (5)
July 5, 1976July 4, 1977Aurelio Menéndez Menéndez (4)
July 4, 1977February 25, 1978
Íñigo Cavero Lataillade (4)UCDCst. (Suárez)
February 25, 1978April 6, 1979Íñigo Cavero Lataillade (5)UCD
April 6, 1979September 9, 1980José Manuel Otero Novas (5)UCDI (Suárez)
September 9, 1980February 26, 1981
Juan Antonio Ortega (5)UCD
February 26, 1981December 2, 1981Juan Antonio Ortega (6)UCDI (Calvo-Sotelo)
December 2, 1981December 2, 1982
Federico Mayor Zaragoza (5)UCD
December 3, 1982July 12, 1988
José María Maravall (5)PSOEII • III • IV
(González)
July 12, 1988June 24, 1992
Javier Solana Madariaga (5)PSOE
June 24, 1992July 12, 1993
Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba (5)PSOE
July 13, 1993July 3, 1995
Gustavo Suárez Pertierra (5)PSOEV (González)
July 3, 1995May 5, 1996
Jerónimo Saavedra (5)PSOE
May 6, 1996January 20, 1999
Esperanza Aguirre (7)PPVI (Aznar)
January 20, 1999April 27, 2000
Mariano Rajoy Brey (7)PP
April 28, 2000April 17, 2004
Pilar del Castillo (8)PPVII (Aznar)
April 18, 2004April 7, 2006
María Jesús San Segundo (5)PSOEVIII (Zapatero)
April 7, 2006April 13, 2008
Mercedes Cabrera (5)PSOE
April 14, 2008April 7, 2009Mercedes Cabrera (9)PSOEIX (Zapatero)
April 7, 2009December 22, 2011
Ángel Gabilondo Pujol (4)Indep.
December 22, 2011June 26, 2015
José Ignacio Wert (8)Indep.XXIXII
(Rajoy)

Reign of Felipe VI (2014– )

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Took officeLeft officeNamePartyCabinet
June 26, 2015June 1, 2018
Íñigo Méndez de Vigo (8)PPXXIXII
(Rajoy)
June 7, 2018July 12, 2021
Isabel Celaá (10)PSOEXIIXII•XIIIXIV (Sánchez)
July 12, 2021
Pilar Alegría (10)(11)

Since the reign of Alfonso XIII, the current Ministry of Education has successively been known by the following titles:

  • Ministry of Public Instruction and Fine Arts (1900–1937) (1).
  • Ministry of Public Instruction and Health (1937–1939) (2).
  • Commission of Culture and Education of the Technical Board of the State (1936–1938) (3).
  • Ministry of Education (1938–1968, 1976–1978, 2009–2011) (4).
  • Ministry of Education and Science (1973–1976, 1978–1981, 1981–1996, 2004–2008) (5).
  • Ministry of Education and University (1968–1973, 1981) (6).
  • Ministry of Education and Culture (1996–2000) (7).
  • Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (2000–2004, 2011–2018) (8).
  • Ministry of Education, Social policy and Sport (2008–2009) (9).
  • Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (2018–2023) (10).
  • Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports (2023–) (11).

See also

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Notes and references

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  1. ^ a b Ministry of Territorial Policy and Civil Service (2019). Statistical Bulletin of the personnel at the service of the Public Administrations (PDF). pp. 32 and 48. {{cite book}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  2. ^ "2023 State Budget" (PDF). www.boe.es. January 1, 2023. Retrieved January 8, 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Royal Decree 1045/2018, of August 24, by which the basic organic structure of the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training is developed". boe.es. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  4. ^ "Education in Spain". Expatica. Retrieved June 27, 2022.
  5. ^ "Composición y funcionamiento". www.educacionyfp.gob.es (in Spanish). Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  6. ^ Vera, Joaquín (June 8, 2018). "Los cinco retos de Isabel Celaá, la nueva ministra de Educación y FP". El Español (in Spanish). Retrieved April 5, 2019.
  7. ^ a b "Instituto de Formación del Profesorado, Investigación e Innovación Educativa (IFIIE) - Gobierno de España - Ministerio de Educación". November 8, 2011. Archived from the original on November 8, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  8. ^ "Instituto de Formación del Profesorado, Investigación e Innovación Educativa (IFIIE) - Gobierno de España - Ministerio de Educación". November 8, 2011. Archived from the original on November 8, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  9. ^ "Corporate Body - Ministerio de Ultramar (España)". PARES. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  10. ^ Cien años de educación en España: en torno a la creación del Ministerio de Instrucción Pública y Bellas Artes. Fundación BBVA and MECyD. 2001. pp. 183–195. ISBN 8436934296.
  11. ^ "Instituto de Formación del Profesorado, Investigación e Innovación Educativa (IFIIE) - Gobierno de España - Ministerio de Educación". November 8, 2011. Archived from the original on November 8, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  12. ^ "Corporate Body - Ministerio de Instrucción Pública y Sanidad (España)". PARES. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  13. ^ "Royal Decree 1823/2011, of December 21, by which the ministerial departments are restructured". www.boe.es. Retrieved April 22, 2019.
  14. ^ "Royal Decree 274/2024, of March 19, which develops the basic organic structure of the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports". www.boe.es. pp. 32396–32415. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  1. ^ Spain has 553,014 school and high school teachers although they depend from the regional educational administrations. The university employees and professors are 156,042
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