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The Minister of Education, Isabel Celaá, had everything prepared to achieve a "great agreement" on the exceptional criteria for closing this school year without classroom classes for the coronavirus. But, this Thursday, up to six autonomous communities expressed their criticism, to a greater or lesser degree, and there were four -the Community of Madrid, Andalusia, Murcia and the Basque Country- who refused to put their signature on the agreement, as Celaá asked them.

This has led her, on the afternoon of this Friday, to make a television appearance to demand that these regions join. Of course, he has refused to give in on the points in conflict: the specific criteria to start and pass the course.

When asked if she planned to give in and set the specific number of suspensions to be able to pass the course in these exceptional circumstances, as requested by Madrid, Andalusia, Murcia, Galicia and Castilla y León, the Minister of Education replied that "it is not her responsibility to the ministry to fix the number of suspenses ".

But precisely, it is Celaá's responsibility to determine those kinds of things. One of the few tasks that his ministry has, since the powers are transferred to the autonomous communities. The current education law, the Lomce , makes clear in its articles 28 and 36 that in ESO you cannot pass a course with more than three students and in Baccalaureate with more than two. That law has been drafted by the ministry and has been approved by the Cortes.

Celaá has ensured that his proposal for an agreement "does not alter basic legislation", that is, the Lomce, but there is a part that does collide: the one that proposes that students pass the course in a generalized way, "without taking into account limitations that affect the number of pending areas, "according to the document to which EL MUNDO has had access.

This means that students will pass regardless of the number of failures they accumulate. Just the opposite of what the Lomce says.

Not inequality, "diversity"

The minister has resisted setting a number of specific suspensions, as requested by the six autonomous communities mentioned. "We are in the essences and, when we are in the essences, it is not about specific subjects, but to evaluate a student in his capacity for development as a human being. It is not a number of subjects," he insisted.

And is it not going to generate territorial inequality to leave the decision of determining how many people to pass the course with the autonomous communities? "It is not about inequalities between autonomous communities, there is always diversity in them," he said.

And he stressed that when he met with the counselors at the Education Sector Conference on Wednesday , "all the communities shared the philosophy of the agreement."

"The vast majority have adhered in its entirety. The least have shown their disagreement with some of the points. We are confident that they will sign the agreement. It would be a shame that sharing the concept we could not all go together," he said.

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