Meritxell Ruiz: “We cannot expect schools to solve every social challenge”

Photo: Courtesy of the author

FACE TO FACE WITH

Meritxell Ruiz, former Minister of Education of the Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan Government)

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David Rabadà

Meritxell Ruiz Isern (Reus, 1978) is an economist, teacher and politician who has played a significant role in shaping Catalan education policy. A graduate in Business Administration and Management from the Rovira i Virgili University (URV) and holder of a Master’s in Public Management from ESADE, she began her professional career as a financial adviser at La Caixa. She later obtained the Certificate of Pedagogical Aptitude (CAP) and went on to teach.

Between 2006 and 2010 she served as a Member of the Catalan Parliament, first for Unió Democràtica de Catalunya (UDC) and later for Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya (CDC). From 2011 to 2016 she was Director General for Family and Educational Community Affairs at the Department of Education, where she implemented the first regulations on the use of mobile phones in schools. Between 2016 and 2017, she held the position of Minister of Education in the government led by Carles Puigdemont.

After three years on the leadership team of Escola Pia de Vilanova, she is currently Secretary General of the Fundació Escola Cristiana de Catalunya, an organisation representing around 400 Christian schools across Catalonia. This interview offers both a personal and professional insight into a key figure in Catalonia’s recent educational developments.

How do you remember your beginnings in education and politics? What prompted you to enter these fields?

In 2005, just after completing my CAP, I had to decide whether to leave my job and devote myself to teaching or to take up the opportunity I’d been offered to stand as a candidate for the Catalan Parliament. I’d long been involved in social and cultural projects in my city, and I saw politics as a genuine tool for social transformation. So, for eleven years, I dedicated myself to politics—especially to the field of education.

What positive links would you draw between your professional projects and your educational background?

Many, actually. Academic training broadens your knowledge and opens the door to new learning and interests. Educational training helps you direct that knowledge towards the common good. Both in politics and in teaching, solid professional and human preparation are essential.

You are an economist by training and worked closely with the former Minister of Economy, Andreu Mas-Colell. Do you see a strong connection between economics and education?

Having worked both at the Department of Education and within schools has allowed me to gain extensive knowledge and experience, giving me a broad understanding of the education system—its dynamics and its challenges.

“Another of the challenges was ensuring that the system did not mistake the tools—methodologies, innovation, technology—for the true purpose of education, which must always be the learning of students”

During your time as Minister of Education, what were the biggest challenges you faced, and how did you address them?

We were emerging from a major economic crisis, and the hardest decision was to determine which educational policies and projects deserved investment from the few public resources available. Another of the challenges was ensuring that the system did not mistake the tools—methodologies, innovation, technology—for the true purpose of education, which must always be the learning of students. We managed to tackle these difficulties thanks to an excellent team of professionals, not only within the Department but also in school boards and regional services. We were fully aware that any real improvement in education had to come from within the system itself. Therefore, we had to value teachers and the professionals in the classroom—listen to them, learn from their experience, and draw upon their knowledge. Before launching new projects, we always discussed them with many voices from within the system.

The introduction of the continuous school day in state secondary schools had been proposed by the Secondary School Teachers’ Association (ASPEPC·SPS) some time earlier. What objectives did you pursue with this measure, and how do you assess it today?

This was an initiative we developed together with Minister Rigau, after extensive discussions with the central boards of school leaders. There were both advantages and disadvantages.

Those in favour—including Professors de Secundària—argued that the split school day led to higher levels of afternoon conflict, whereas the continuous school day helped to eliminate them. Afternoons, after lunch, tended to be much more disruptive for students than mornings.

With hindsight, I believe we need a broader reflection on both schedules and calendars. Our academic year is long, but our daily timetable is compressed. Six consecutive hours of lessons with only a thirty-minute break and lunch at three or half past three is far from ideal.

“Some countries have delayed the start of secondary school and have seen improvements in attendance and academic performance”

Some schools divide the six hours into two short breaks, which works well and helps reduce pupils’ stress levels. They might have two lessons, take a short break, another two, pause again briefly, and finish with lighter subjects such as PE, Reading or Art and Design. By the end of the day, pupils leave school feeling relaxed.

I know this can be a controversial issue among teachers. But from experience, our current timetables are not adapted to the needs of adolescents. There’s plenty of medical research about delayed sleep phases, the need for teenagers to sleep nine or ten hours, and the health effects of our two-hour time lag compared with other countries. Some nations have postponed the start of the school day and seen improvements in attendance and performance.

Perhaps adults too would benefit from starting work at ten in the morning—and teenagers from switching off their screens a little earlier at night?

This isn’t just a school issue; it’s a social one. Teenagers glued to screens at eleven o’clock at night is, of course, far more harmful.

How would you assess the evolution of the Catalan education system in recent years? What improvements have been made, and which areas still require attention?

Catalan society should recognise the tremendous work being done by our schools. Too often they’re criticised or subjected to impractical proposals from people who have never set foot in a classroom. A particular concern is the social pressure placed on schools. We cannot expect schools to solve every social challenge. They have an enormously important mission, but we cannot demand that they also act as nutritionists, doctors, environmentalists, sexologists, social workers, or fix residential segregation. Part of the current disorientation and exhaustion stems from this.

“The school has an essential mission, but we cannot ask it to also act as a nutritionist, doctor, environmentalist, sexologist or social worker”

So, what should schools be, then?

Schools should be able to simply be schools. Every day in classrooms, small “miracles” occur—of learning, coexistence, and personal growth. This doesn’t mean we should avoid our responsibility to improve. The school as an institution is currently going through a complex and critical period. The data confirm it: the results, the uncertainty among professionals, excessive bureaucracy, and the shortage of teachers—issues affecting most countries.

Given your career path, how do you think the current education system could be improved?

Education is a slow-cooking process; we cannot expect immediate results. One of the key aspects, to my mind, is to rethink initial teacher training. We are not preparing future teachers adequately for the complexity they will encounter in the classroom.

You mean all teachers, including those who train in faculties of education?

They must be people with a strong cultural foundation, pedagogical and didactic ability, and the tools to lead classroom learning. Secondly, we must focus on the professional development of teachers and leadership teams currently in service. Research shows that this is the second most important factor in improving education—second only to the socio-cultural background of the family. Therefore, for those whose “backpack” is light, teacher quality becomes the single most decisive factor.

“Joan Mateo proposed compulsory schooling from ages 2 to 18, with primary education extended to 14 and a more diversified secondary system offering both vocational and academic pathways”

So, we need teachers who are learned, expert, and deeply knowledgeable in their subject matter—but what else?

Finally, there should be a national debate on educational stages. In the “Ara és demà” (Today is tomorrow) debate at the Catalan School Council in 2016, Joan Mateo proposed compulsory education from ages 2 to 18, with primary extended to 14 and a more diversified secondary education, offering both vocational and academic pathways. I think it’s a proposal worth considering.

In your current role at the Fundació Escola Cristiana de Catalunya, what are the main challenges facing Christian education today?

First and foremost, Christian schools have the responsibility to offer a message of hope in the face of social fragmentation, emptiness, and growing extremism. We must be schools for everyone, offering a specific vision of the person—ours grounded in Gospel values. We must be capable of promoting a narrative of fraternity in a society where social bonds are breaking down. At the same time, we must continue to ensure both quality and equity in education.

What is your view on the relationship between education and religion? How can religion be integrated into teaching without causing conflict?

Unfortunately, this is a topic that hasn’t been debated properly due to prejudice and preconceptions. Isn’t spirituality a basic dimension of the human being? Haven’t social media become a kind of religion? Isn’t the youth suicide rate high enough to warrant reflection? To exclude the religious and spiritual dimension from schools is a mistake.

As the evolutionary biologist Stephen Jay Gould said, conflicts arise not because science and religion are inherently at odds, but when one tries to usurp the domain of the other.

It’s not about catechism or indoctrination. It’s about nurturing spirituality, a sense of transcendence, and reflection on the meaning of one’s own life. To banish religion from schools is to impoverish students—to deprive them of the tools to understand their culture and of the capacity to engage in dialogue with people of different beliefs. In Quebec, public schools teach spiritual education. In Catalonia, the Tarraconense has proposed that all students reflect on religion, on the roots of our culture, and on life’s great existential questions.

“To expel religion from schools is to impoverish students, to deprive them of the knowledge needed to understand their culture”

What role should technology play in 21st-century education? What opportunities and risks does it entail?

That’s a long question with many open issues. I believe we cannot deny technology a place in the classroom—it’s an integral part of our lives. But we need proposals that can be properly assessed, taking into account students’ age, maturity, types of devices, and modes of use. We must also identify which things should be learned without technological mediation, and which spaces and moments in schools should remain “100% human”.

The Vatican has already expressed concern about current challenges in the context of technology and artificial intelligence.

Clearly, reflection is needed—on its uses, risks, limits, and ethical dilemmas. In my view, we should strengthen those types of learning that define us as human beings. Technology must serve humanity, not the other way around. The capacity to focus, to reason, and to think will be crucial for our students.

How do you view the role of families in their children’s education?

Teachers should convey a shared message to families: that they have a basic and irreplaceable role in their children’s education. We cannot hand that over to social media, consumerism, or passing influencers. The primary educational agent must be the family, and the school should reinforce this. We are co-responsible, but our roles are different. Sharing a family meal each day, talking about everyone’s experiences or current events, leaving mobile phones aside when spending time together, reading aloud, or doing volunteer work—all of this has greater educational power than an hour of class.

“The family must be the main educational agent, and the school must reinforce it. We share responsibility, but we play different roles”

And what about working hours in relation to family life and education?

One aspect that worries me particularly in Catalonia and Spain is family working hours. Without work-life balance, there can be no quality education. The long working days we have here—unlike anywhere else in Europe—reduce families’ educational capacity and prevent their participation in community projects. I’m convinced that part of school failure stems from these excessive working hours.

What projects or initiatives are you currently leading within the Fundació Escola Cristiana de Catalunya?

We’ve conducted a strategic reflection process with schools to identify the key traits of future Christian education in Catalonia. This has given us a shared vision. We’re working on diverse areas: improving language learning, using data and AI responsibly, and promoting the care of people and the school community. We’re also building networks among schools to share and learn collectively—bringing together educational challenges and enhancing teachers’ professional development.

Finally, what advice would you give to new generations who wish to pursue a career in education or politics?

First of all, I’d tell them that teaching is probably the most wonderful job in the world—but it’s demanding and requires a true vocation. Seeing a student learn is a marvellous experience, and you yourself learn every day as a professional. The world we live in isn’t easy, but accompanying children and young people in their growth and leaving a positive mark on their future gives life special meaning. When we train new teachers, we remind them that their responsibility is not only to educate the mind, but also the heart and the hands—to help their students make the world a better place.

And for those who want to go into politics?

They should be well prepared. They need to discover their vocation for service before entering politics—through voluntary or community work, or by helping others without personal gain.

I’d tell them we need politicians who feel responsible not only for the present, but for the future they will leave behind. They should listen to others, especially those who think differently, stay close to real life, cultivate themselves intellectually—and only dedicate a limited period of their lives to politics. More than ever, we need good teachers and competent professionals willing to devote a period of service to public life.

Source: educational EVIDENCE

Rights: Creative Commons