Letters to the editor

Research paper, in doubt?20% of secondary schools have just called for the elimination of the mandatory research project, the TDR. The centers adhering to the initiative do not question the importance of fostering research or the development of academic skills, but rather denounce that this work generates more teaching problems than educational effectiveness.

On the one hand, it imposes a demand on students for time and effort that students in most autonomous communities do not suffer. On the other hand, it entails a great teaching burden for its monitoring and correction that does not have adequate recognition within the working day. A new element is added to this situation: the widespread emergence of AI tools, which increasingly hinder the verification of the real authorship of the works and question the original meaning of a research project.

The recent ruling of the High Court of Justice of Catalonia, which has reduced the weight of the TDR in the final qualification of secondary school, reinforces the need to open a calm reflection on this issue.

When 20% of Catalan faculty agree to reject the TDR, the response should not be administrative silence, but the opening of a rigorous debate on educational equity, teaching quality, and the working conditions of teachers.

David Rabadà VivesBarcelonaThe challenge of visibility of women's sportsThe growth of women's sports is undeniable, especially in football; our athletes are achieving historic successes that are attracting more and more spectators. However, this evolution is not proportionally reflected in media coverage. There continues to be a disproportionate gap in the space dedicated to women's competitions compared to men's, as women's are often relegated to brief filler news.

Equality in sports is not achieved solely through speeches of support on special dates, but with the involvement of the media, which must cover women's sports rigorously and professionally. We are facing a growing audience that wants to know the current affairs of their female role models with the same technical analysis dedicated to their male counterparts. If something is not shown, it can hardly be valued in the same way by society.

Itziar BaetaBarcelonaRespect does not travel on public transportEvery day I take public transport, and it is common to witness the same regrettable scene: an elderly person gets on, and the reserved seats are occupied by healthy people who do not need them. The most outrageous thing is not that they sit in a place that does not belong to them, but the indifference. People who look up, see perfectly well that someone elderly has just entered and look back at their mobile screen as if no one had gotten on, unable to get up and give up their seat.

Where has basic education and respect gone? We fill our mouths talking about progress and values, but we are incapable of having empathy for our elders on the street. Giving up a seat should not be a rule written on a sticker on the wagon wall, it should come from within. It is a shame to see how this lack of civility is normalized before everyone's eyes. Quality public transport depends not only on schedules or vehicles, but also on the human quality of the society that uses it.

Ariadna VergésEsplugues de Llobregat