Alex Trelinski
ALMOST half of families in Spain paid for private lessons for their children between 2019 and 2020 according to a study from the Esade Centre for Economic Policy.
The survey says that 47% of families spent €1.7 billion on classes with languages- especially English- as the main priority.
The main outlay came from homes where children go to state schools, accounting for two-thirds of spending.
The report also observed also that the spend on private language lessons would rise in parallel with household income.
Wealthier families shelling out for private tuition would have an average spend of €606 per youngster, compared to €235 for children within the state education system.
The report authors said: “A greater emphasis in private classes towards widening, perfecting and enriching languages and arts is indicative of parents to increase their children’s learning opportunities.”
“It could be viewed as a comment on the quality and quantity of classes within the school curriculum when it comes to both languages and arts,” the Esade Centre added.
It suggests that the way of reversing the upward trend towards private tuition is to increase confidence in state schools and their teachers.
The study believes if the trend is not changed, then public funding of state institutions may suffer.
It’s also concerned that demand for private classes is being driven by a ‘highly competitive exam system’ with high rates of failure and youngsters increasingly taking resits.
