Education (Early Dictatorship)

• Under Franco, the Church regained its dominant position in the education system. The Church provided moral guidance for the content of education.
• The proportion of children in education remained far lower than in the rest of Western Europe. There continued to be a lack of classroom space in public schools, which was a cause of low enrolment rates. Franco made it compulsory for children to attend school from 6-13. The government could provided enough classroom space for 6 year olds, but the number of classrooms decreased as you moved through the year groups. School attendance was not mandatory past primary school age, meaning there were few public secondary schools.
• Education (1939-75) was characterised by the separation of boys from girls. In some cases, male and female students attended the same school but were taught in separate classrooms. Although, Franco preferred to educate boys and girls in different schools.
• During 1939 to 1960, the key function of schools was to promote literacy and the regime's ideology.
• After the 1960s, gradual changes were introduced into Spanish education. Integrated education of boys and girls became more common.
• There were 2 different models of education, one for each sex. Girls were taught following the model that focused upon preforming a domestic role throughout their lives. Education for boys, meanwhile, stressed their role as defenders of the country and the Catholic religion.
• The 1970 General Law of Basic Education made education compulsory until the age of 14. It established, for the first time, a common curriculum for boys and girls. However, boys and girls were still expected to conform to their traditional gender roles.
• The illiteracy rate dropped from 23% in 1940 to 12% in 1970. In the 1960s, 45% of secondary school students and 26% of university students were women, representing a significant rise in opportunities for women.