Catalonia, at the back of the line for philosophy classes: "We need time to think."

BarcelonaKnowing what truth and lies mean in a world invaded byfake 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.

Catalonia is the region where philosophy is taught the fewest hours in high school: five a week between the two years (two in the first year and three in the second year), while in La Rioja there are eight and in Extremadura there are seven. Most territories—including the Balearic Islands, the Valencian Community, and Madrid—have six hours a week, one more than in Catalonia. But the decline, according to teachers, begins in secondary school: the number of hours taught in subjects that include some philosophical discipline has fallen from 140 to 35 in recent years. For all these reasons, more than 400 teachers have joined together under the platform "Philosophy Teachers for the Third Hour," as they believe that "philosophizing" creates critical people, and that this requires time they don't have. "Reasoning implies developing the reasons, and it's necessary to go beyond a single post on social media," says Cos.

Demands, however, take time. Their main demand is a third hour of philosophy in the first year of high school, which has been requested since 2008. They also demand that the subject of civic and ethical values education be reintroduced in all secondary school years, with a minimum of two hours per week per year. "The current allocation of one hour per week in a single year makes it a mere ancillary subject, with little impact on students' education," the teachers state. Furthermore, it is not always a subject taught by philosophy teachers. They recall that in 2022, 10,000 signatures were collected to prevent the subject from being dropped.

In this regard, another demand is that the optional philosophy subject in the fourth year of high school be included in all schools. If we don't work on this, in the teachers' opinion, students won't arrive at high school with a solid foundation, a deficiency that cannot be corrected by the lack of hours. These are measures from a decalogue (approved by the majority of teachers who make up the platform) that they have already presented to the Ministry of Education. They also call for better coordination of the content of the university entrance exams and ongoing teacher training. So far, they have not received any government commitment, only that they continue to discuss the matter.

Reflect in Catalan

Teachers believe that philosophy goes far beyond theory and also serves, for example, to learn (and improve) Catalan, both written and spoken. Students learn to debate orally and also to explain concepts that are difficult to describe in writing. "Those who don't think well can't write well. Philosophy is transversal," they argue, citing as an example the fact that some international baccalaureates in Catalonia offer five hours of philosophy per course.

The Education Department, with whom they have already met twice and will do so again soon, responds that it is very complicated to modify science subjects to expand the curriculum for other subjects such as philosophy. Officially, the department explains that "work is being done on modifying the curriculum in conversation with all relevant stakeholders." According to sources consulted by ARA, the talks are still at an early stage.

Pressure from Parliament

Teachers exerted pressure this Thursday from the Parliament, where they met with the PSC, Junts, ERC, PP, Comuns, and CUP. Cos noted that they received "the support of all" of these parties and hoped there was political will to do so. Teachers also complain about their working conditions, stating that they are the ones who spend the most hours marking (exams are often long and dense) and that they often have to take these hours outside of school hours. Another aspect they believe needs to be improved is the ratios, as their dialogue and debate classes are difficult to teach with many students in the classroom.