February 18, 2025
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With just a few days left until the start of the new course, the educational system in Spain is facing problems already seen in the private company segment

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With just a few days left until the start of the new course, the educational system in Spain is facing problems already seen in the private company segment and in civil servants: the shortage of qualified personnel for the STEM field (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) and the aging of teachers are aggravating the problem for the future.

Despite low birth rates, the school year starts with record numbers of 8.33 million students and 784,425 teachers. This is 15,627 more teachers than the previous year. This increase in enrollment and teachers is mainly due to the growth of Vocational Education (FP).

There is a shortage of STEM teachers. Despite this increase in the number of teaching staff for this subject, the education system has been facing a shortage of teachers in STEM disciplines that require specific technical knowledge for years. The root of the problem lies not in the lack of graduates who have completed these careers, but in the professional field they choose when they finish their education.

According to the latest data available for 2021 from the Salary Structure Survey prepared by INE, the average annual salary in the finance and insurance sectors was €46,122, while in the education sector the average salary was €28,272 in 2021. This salary gap, together with greater job stability in the private sector, means that many graduates do not choose to dedicate themselves to teaching and that it is increasingly difficult to fill vacant positions with specialist training in education.

An effect that is already visible. The lack of teachers specialized in technical subjects directly affects the quality of teaching in these subjects. As published WorldThe PISA Report highlighted a 15-point drop in math scores and an eight-point drop in science scores in its latest edition.

An OECD report on the outlook for the Spanish education system in 2023 has stated that the shortage of STEM teachers is one of the main obstacles to teaching in Spain. The government has allocated a budget package of €95 million to strengthen teaching in mathematics, but the implementation of the plan faces the problem of a shortage of qualified teachers.

Teachers without generation changeThe problem of teacher shortages also arises in the context of the inversion of the demographic pyramid and the expansion of the student body in VET, which has grown by 55% in the last decade. This growth is particularly evident in technical subjects, where high employment rates and salaries make them the most sought-after training.

The OECD report, which we mentioned earlier, stated that the average age of teachers in Spain is above the European average and could become a problem of generational change. While it is true that demographically, a decrease in the student population is approaching, the intensity of teacher retirement is also increasing, which repeats the problem that already exists among public administration officials.

Twenty-one percent of secondary school teachers are over the age of 55, and in public education teachers typically retire around the age of 60. This further complicates the problem of a shortage of qualified personnel in education, especially in areas where specific technical knowledge is required.

A career for STEM teachers. Traditionally, most graduates of mathematics and other STEM disciplines chose to go into teaching. The path to these positions required completing a master’s degree in secondary education and, in the case of the public sector, passing an appeal. This path is long and discourages many candidates who are tempted by the best salaries in the private sector.

To address this issue, countries like the UK have simplified entry requirements and implemented financial incentives and scholarships to attract future STEM teachers, said César Coll, professor emeritus of Developmental and Educational Psychology at the University of Barcelona. Country One possible solution to this problem could be to create special careers to train secondary school teachers in STEM disciplines, similar to the currently taught K-12 and early childhood education teaching careers. This would reduce the requirements and allow new teachers to be adequately trained in specific STEM subjects.

On Xataka | There are so many students who want to study computer science that universities can no longer find teachers

Image by Unsplash (Kenny Eliason)

Source: Xatak Android

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