When we talk about Pythagoras, the first thing that probably comes to mind is the theorem that bears his name, one of the discoveries this Greek philosopher and mathematician of the late 6th century BC made during his lifetime. But he made quite a few more. He was also the first to relate music to numbers, which led him to identify mathematical patterns in music. So, it's not so strange that these two fields are linked.

The other day I went to a high school where the second-year students had read Biography of FireThis book is certainly not the most suitable for high school students, because some of the stories deal with themes that may be too distant for them, and, in general, it has a level of complexity that, given the current state of reading comprehension, suggests it might not be easy for them. However, these talks in secondary schools are always interesting, especially because you realize they're surprised that writers are normal people. And part of the job is this: to get teenagers to stop seeing us as a kind of repressed, old-fashioned bookworm who doesn't write about life but about empty intellectual abstractions. This talk was also interesting, especially when the topic of sex came up.

The Vila de Gràcia Institute in Barcelona will have to discontinue its performing arts baccalaureate program starting next year. The Education Consortium informed them of this just before Christmas, and if the closure of this baccalaureate program goes ahead, the Gràcia district will be left without any public options for studying performing arts. For this reason, the school community has organized a protest this week to demand that the Consortium reconsider. The school is the only one in the entire district that offers the performing arts baccalaureate program publicly, and the institute regrets the neglect of this project, which they say is "well-established and has a strong presence and social impact in the neighborhood." Furthermore, Vila de Gràcia is one of the few schools that maintains a student-to-teacher ratio of 16 per class, and they argue that its closure would represent a decline in the quality of education.

The Baccalaureate is one of the options for accessing university, two years in which students often feel pressured to achieve the necessary grade to study their desired degree. The access grade is determined by the average of the Baccalaureate grade, which represents 60%, and the university entrance exam grade, the remaining 40%.

This is now official: this is the last year that first-year high school students will study physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and environmental science separately. The Department of Education published the amendment to the decree that governs how subjects are organized in high school on Monday. This confirms the changes that have been explained for over a year and which have been opposed by various teachers' groups. The curriculum changes will be implemented starting next year, 2026-2027, due to a request from the Spanish government urging the Generalitat to have their qualifications recognized in case of geographical mobility.

The photo is striking. It's the schoolyard where several students are now playing ball and chatting. In the image, however, the soccer field is full of uniformed, stiff-looking men with their hands raised. "I find it very hard to imagine that ours inste "That's how it was," says Roc. "It's shocking," admits Blanca. Both are students at the Jaume Balmes high school, the oldest secondary school in Barcelona. The image the students are discussing is from the inauguration of the school's new—and current—building in 1942, during the Franco dictatorship. This historical period is not unfamiliar to them. contrary to what many statistics say.

"We've been living on a path toward discrediting the humanities for some time now. With constant warnings that students can't read complex texts or don't understand the problems, how is it possible that anyone would think of removing required readings or reducing literature in the curriculum?" laments the literature professor at the University of Barcelona (UB). The fact that this week has been put on the table (and later retired) The decision to make Catalan and Castilian literature optional in the humanities baccalaureate has once again raised alarm bells about a clear problem in Catalonia: the humanities are losing importance at the educational and social levels.

These days, students in some areas of Spain who have already taken the university entrance exams are posting videos online in which they say what grades they think they got. One friend records it, the other has the results on her phone, and she, the victim, who doesn't know them, guesses the grade.

"Philosophy has two main motives: to be outraged at transforming the world and to marvel at perseverance." The phrase uttered by Begoña Roman, a doctor of philosophy and professor at the University of Barcelona (UB), is a good example of why, on a Monday afternoon, nearly 100 people gathered at the Ateneu Barcelonès with a clear objective: to restore the prestige of philosophy in Catalan education. "It's no longer a professional issue but a national issue. The problem is that we live in a short-termist way. We don't plan for the future, but only for today," criticized philosophy professor Ramon Moix.

It's pouring rain, just when you think it's over again, the never-ending story—first as tragedy, then as farce—and we're back at the top of the heap. Or to put it another way: Sisyphus in the race after the stone that goes up and down and never stops rolling, but in this case only down and never up. I say this because Catalonia has been the country with the least emphasis on philosophy in the educational curriculum for a long time, blow after blow. And if we've been here for so long, it means we've been in a worse place for years. From the school of freedom, it's always urgent to think—against those who only want us to be subjects, consumers, spectators, and users—and rethink everything. Because if today, for example, is April 25th—with Valencian roots, a Portuguese soul, and an Italian partisan spirit—we will have to consider why we have the Valencian Country we have, what has become of the democratic revolution of the carnations fifty years later, and how the hell we ended up in the sinister state of Liberation with Meloni governing Italy. It makes us think—not so much. Because they have also been inviting, inciting, and clumsily modulating us to stop doing so for too long.

The Department of Education confirmed this Wednesday the changes to the baccalaureate that had been on the table for months, after receiving a requirement from the Spanish government so that Catalonia can adapt to state regulations at this stage of post-compulsory education. All modifications will begin to be applied to the studies of students starting their first year of high school on September 1, 2026. Features, the main change, which had already been explained, is that in the first year of high school—the course in which most of the curricular modifications are concentrated—the scientific subjects will be merged. Geology and Environmental Sciences (3 hours), which will become part of a single 4-hour subject. However, everything can be complemented with four new annual electives of two hours per week: Physics+, Chemistry+, Geology+, and Biology+. However, whether these electives are applied or not depends on what

For almost any teenager about to finish compulsory secondary education, the question "what are you going to do?" haunts them for months. Until recently, those who answered "I want to do a Baccalaureate" would instantly receive a question: "Humanities, science, or art—some also included technology?" However, if today someone wants to take advantage of a family meal to bring up this topic with a nephew, grandchild, or child and talk about all the options available, the conversation should probably extend beyond the after-dinner conversation, because in Barcelona alone, there will be up to seventeen baccalaureate degrees to choose from next year.

In the last decade, the proportion of Catalan students who complete high school with an excellent grade—an average of between 9 and 10—has increased by four points. While in 2015, 8.4% of high school students completed their studies with these brilliant grades, in 2023—the latest year for which the Integrated University Information System (SIIU), which compiles results from across Spain, provides data—Catalonia had 12.5% of students completing this stage.

Concern over possible changes to the Catalan baccalaureate curriculum continues to grow. In fact, it has led to something unprecedented. For the first time in recent educational history in Catalonia, associations and platforms of teachers from various fields—Catalan language, Spanish language, physics, chemistry, biology, geology, and philosophy—have joined forces to demand that the Department of Education listen to them and take them into account when making changes.

Knowing what truth and lies mean in a world invaded by fake news. Understanding that "generalizations are often fallacies" at a time when many are talking too loudly. And engaging in dialogue in a divided world. "Understanding that polarization is avoided when you can tolerate disagreeing with your friend and still be their friend." Philosophy teachers argue that the subject they teach goes far beyond the myths and theories of the classics. It allows students to "think," "doubt," "self-criticize," and "question everything." These values and lessons they believe are "fundamental" in today's society and that adolescents cannot properly acquire because they dedicate too few hours to it. "We need time to think," says Laia Cos, who acts as a spokesperson for these teachers.

The Education Department has backed down on some of the changes it was proposing in primary and secondary education curricula. After listening to the proposals by the educational community, the Department has finally presented the final proposal and, among the most important new features, the new bottom grade will no longer be renamed "in process of achievement", as had been proposed in the draft, but will remain "not achieved". In addition, "autonomous management", where schools can freely decide what subjects to teach, have been cut from 6 to 4.

Leaflets distributed at the Department of Education's stand at the Education Salon have caused a stir: among the information that students could consult there was an outline of what the future baccalaureate will be like. This would seem perfectly normal were it not for the fact that this is precisely the information schools have been requesting for over a month in order to make contributions and also advise students, especially those in their last year of compulsory education, on what future path to follow. Indignation among teachers was evident on social media. They consider that, once again, the Department will apply changes without consulting them. Precisely, the Department of Education's ways are one of the reasons that pushed many teachers to take part of the five-day strike.

The Spanish government has eliminated re-sits in compulsory education, meaning students will no longer take exams in September for exams they failed in June. The Minister for Education and Vocational Training, Pilar Alegría, explained that the new bill reinforces the government's commitment to "continuous assessment" and a "competency-based curriculum", in line with European standards. The new bill will allow students who have failed up to two subjects to move into the next year if the teachers believe it is appropriate.

The days of the current selectividad (university entrance exams) are numbered. Whether they will be few or many depends on the department of education and the universities, but for the moment the former seem determined to reform the current university entrance system. "We won't be able to hold out much longer with the current selectividad. The current university entrance exams (PAU) are unsustainable", said the Minister of Education, Josep Bargalló. The bachillerato (A-levels), said Bargalló, is the level of education that has remained most on the fringes of the wave of educational transformation that has shaken the education system in recent years, and this has meant that two entire academic years are conditioned by an exam. "The bachillerato has a corset called PAU", he said, and reviewed the grievances: he said that it is an exam that has "nothing to do with" skills-based work, that is based on "the old memorised study" and that "causes anxiety" to students. Despite the "reticence" that exists, the Education Ministry assures us that we are getting closer and closer to reforming this stage of education.