Civic and constitutional education in Spain

Abstract

This paper addresses the need to include constitutional content in non-university education in Spain, and denounces that this task has not deserved the necessary attention from the public authorities, including the Executive and the Legislative, since our Constitution was approved in 1978. Although some education laws have formally addressed the issue, in practice it has not been possible to ensure that the youngest people in our country receive sufficient information about the Constitution in school. As the article tries to show, the problem is not only one of curriculum design, but also of its reflection in textbooks, which have only in a very exceptional way dealt rigorously and adequately with this type of teaching about our Supreme Norm.

Likewise, it is justified in the text that, in a democratic constitutional State, it is essential to have not only specific contents, but also transversal contents, which address the values embodied in the Constitution of each country, the historical milestones of the construction of that political community throughout its history, especially those that refer to the conquest of democracy and the guarantees of fundamental rights. and the traits that shape the identity of citizens, both at the local or regional level and at the national level. If this is not done, we will be depriving society of a basic tool for maintaining the cohesion of a social and civic community, combating the disaffection of many citizens (especially the youngest)...