During his speech, the head of Education has defended the need for young people to acquire the highest degree of competence in the digital field and has given the support of the Government of Spain to the resolution in which the council is working to promote a positive use of these tools among students. "Our schools should aim for students to correctly perceive a polyhedral reality, full of dilemmas and paradoxes that require a more developed critical understanding," he said.
Isabel Celaá has ensured that digitalization is a priority of the Spanish Executive and has pointed out some of the initiatives put in place by her cabinet to face the challenges that the education system faces in this area, such as the creation of an interministerial group to develop a National Artificial Intelligence Strategy and the implementation of new Professional Training degrees related to different fields such as computational thinking, robotics and artificial intelligence, as well as the creation of a digitalization module for all existing titles of FP.
In addition, the minister has referred to the impulse given by the Ministry of Education and FP to the School of Computational Thought and Artificial Intelligence that includes teacher training with learning experiences with more than 15,000 students.
Finally, the owner has referred to one of the pillars of the new educational law that the Government of Spain has prepared. It is about the incorporation of education in ethical and civic values that provide answers to the moral challenges presented by the digital revolution. He has also defended his ministry's commitment to develop a new educational curriculum focused on competencies, in order to develop the skills demanded by the digital age, such as creativity, communication, cooperative work and critical thinking.
"Those responsible for educational policies have an obligation to ensure that our systems guarantee the development of critical thinking and the autonomy of judgment, to know how to discern the truth of falsehood. That is the key to true freedom. The freedom to not be manipulated or deceived, "said Celaá.
Observatory for the study of the History for Peace in Europe
During the working day, the holders of the Education portfolios have analyzed the creation of an Observatory for the study of History for peace in Europe, at the proposal of the French presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe. This initiative would aim to promote European values through education, and, in particular, the creation of an entity that encourages the study and promotion of the teaching of the History for Peace in European countries associated with these values.
Isabel Celaá has shown the Government of Spain's interest in the initiative, given its Europeanist vocation and its firm commitment to the common values of defense of democracy, the rule of law, freedoms and fundamental rights.
It would be a neutral and apolitical observatory that would serve to develop a European conscience based on dialogue and the exchange of experiences between the different national administrations, academic and research institutions with competences in the teachings of history. Its functions include the promotion of activities that encourage debate and the exchange of best practices in the teaching of the history of the participating countries.
The Council of Ministers of Education of the EU held last May already approved a recommendation on the promotion of common values, inclusive education and the European dimension of education that emphasized the need to do facing challenges such as populism, xenophobia, discrimination or the dissemination of false news, among others.