Half of early childhood education teachers do not regularly read books to students.

BarcelonaHalf of Spain's early childhood education teachers do not read books to their students regularly. This is one of the conclusions of the latest OECD TALIS Starting Strong report, which analyzes the situation in early childhood education schools, and in which Spain participated for the first time. The study shows that only 55% of early childhood education teachers—that is, those with students between the ages of 3 and 6—in Spain read books to their students regularly. This percentage rises to 85% in the case of Ireland, which is by far the country with the highest rate of this type of classroom activity among the territories analyzed by the OECD. Turkey (69%), Sweden (68%), Chile (67%), and Japan (64%) complete the top of the ranking. Conversely, Morocco and Denmark (42%), Germany (46%), and Finland (48%) are at the bottom. Therefore, regarding the proportion of teachers who read books to their students, Spain falls somewhere in the middle among the twenty or so countries included in the study. On the other hand, Spain is one of the countries where the most early childhood education teachers sing songs with their students. 80% of teachers in the country do so, second only to Chile (90%) and Ireland (80%).

A satisfied teaching sector

The study also focuses on assessing the satisfaction levels of teachers with students between the ages of 3 and 6. In this regard, almost all respondents (97%) are satisfied with their work, and 96% enjoy teaching at their current school, compared to 17% who say they would like to change schools. Furthermore, 99% of teachers at this educational level feel valued by the children, and 96% also feel valued by their students' families. However, only 45% perceive recognition from society. Regarding the possibility of leaving the profession, 34% of teachers in the state are considering leaving their jobs within the next five years to become primary school teachers, but the figure of 23% who are considering leaving the profession in the near future to "resolve mental health issues" is also noteworthy. [We are working to expand this information]