The Government of Madrid has just approved its first curriculum for Early Childhood Education (the section from 0 to 6 years), which will be applied in the 2022-23 academic year. It is the first to be done for this educational level, and time dedicated to learning science, mathematics, reading and music, as well as social skills, has been included in it. All this, at the level that such tender students allow. But “sexual development” is excluded, which the state norm included “as a determining goal of the stage”, and “seems excessive”.
The educational section from 0 to 6 years, not compulsory, has 250,000 students in the region. This is the first time that it is regulated through a curriculum, and “more knowledge and less indoctrination, as is our line,” explained the Minister of Education, Enrique Ossorio.
This translates, on a practical level, into the inclusion of a daily session of at least 45 minutes dedicated to reading and writing, and another of the same time for Mathematics. In addition, they will be taught Science and Foreign Languages, as well as a minimum weekly class in musical language.
Other subjects that will be added to the curriculum of this stage, for students between 3 and 6 years old, are subjects that teach them elementary habits of organization, perseverance, attention, initiative and effort in their own activity; Cardinal and ordinal numbers; inquiry about the passage of time (past, present, future); fundamental facts of history; ancient civilizations; ways of life in the past; inventions; relevant facts; signs of cultural, physical and social identity of the Community of Madrid; and the use of the library as a source of information, entertainment and enjoyment, among others.
In addition, everyone will be taught social skills such as asking for forgiveness, permission or asking for things please, giving thanks and knowing how to win and lose. Throughout the second cycle –3 to 6 years old–, the teaching of Religion is maintained, with the current time dedication: 1.5 hours. And it adds an approach to reading and promoting texts “that favor issues such as freedom of expression, curiosity, courage, kindness and generosity, without prejudice or stereotypes.”
This is the first of the curricula of the new Celaá Law approved by the regional government. But not without making clear his position contrary to the educational norm: as explained by the Minister of Education, Enrique Ossorio, “the content on contributing to sexual development” has been eliminated from the curriculum, which had been introduced by the central government “as a , and we estimate that it is not a determining purpose for newborn children and children up to 6 years old». They have also “simplified” other expressions of the state regulatory text: “‘Family diversity’ has been changed to ‘family’; ‘quality scaffolding and interactions’ for ‘relationships’; and ‘story’ for ‘history'”, among others, explained Ossorio.
After this curriculum others will come, in the following weeks: those corresponding to the rest of the educational levels, from Primary Education to Secondary and Baccalaureate. The latter is the one that has been the subject of a complaint so far, before the Supreme Court, through an appeal that was admitted for processing yesterday.
On the other hand, the Community of Madrid announced yesterday that it will accredit the English level of more than 60,000 students in 6th grade and 4th year of ESO from 818 bilingual educational centers supported with public funds. To do this, it will invest more than 5.4 million euros. The Governing Council yesterday approved the hiring of these tests, which will be carried out before the end of the year and whose calendar will be made public shortly.
