To conclude our analysis of the ongoing educational crisis in Spain—one that exemplifies broader challenges faced across Southern Europe—it is essential to examine how the political instrumentalization of the education system has contributed significantly to its persistent weaknesses. Although this issue is widely acknowledged within Spain itself, it tends to be overlooked or minimised in international discourse. Successive Spanish governments, regardless of ideological orientation, have treated education not as a long-term national priority, but rather as a short-term political tool, subject to the shifting agendas of party politics.

Since Spain’s transition to democracy in the late 1970s, following the death of dictator Francisco Franco, the country has implemented no fewer than eight separate national education laws: LOECE, LODE, LOGSE, LOPEG, LOCE, LOE, LOMCE, and the most recent, LOMLOE. Every reform has lowered the level of the education system. Besides, each of these reforms, has been closely aligned with the ideology of the ruling party at the time, frequently repealing or radically transforming the framework established by the previous administration. This cycle of legislative change—rarely supported by robust empirical evaluation—has created chronic instability in the Spanish education system. Rather than fostering gradual improvement and continuity, such repeated reform has undermined coherence, discouraged long-term planning, and confused both educators and students.

Despite the frequency of reform, the fundamental structural problems of Spanish education remain largely unresolved. Legislative changes have tended to focus on symbolic or superficial matters—such as the naming of subjects, the organisation of curriculum cycles, modifications to grading systems, and the degree of school autonomy. These shifts often generate public debate but have little meaningful impact on educational quality or equity. Meanwhile, more urgent challenges—such as deep-rooted educational inequality, insufficient public investment, the growing bureaucratic burden on teachers, and persistently high levels of early school leaving—have not been addressed with the consistency and seriousness they require.

Spain continues to rank among the European Union countries with the highest early school-leaving rates. This statistic alone indicates that successive reforms have failed to produce lasting improvements in student retention or attainment. In many cases, political considerations have taken precedence over pedagogical evidence, with policymakers prioritising ideological goals over the needs of students and the professional judgment of educators.

This ideological divide typically manifests as follows: conservative governments favour more traditional academic approaches, emphasising memorisation, standardised testing, teacher authority, and often a prominent role for religious education. By contrast, progressive governments tend to prioritise inclusive education, cross-curricular competencies, and social equity, often challenging notions of merit-based selection. While these perspectives are not inherently incompatible, in Spain they are generally treated as mutually exclusive and are used to signal political identity rather than to inform constructive dialogue. The absence of consensus and the marginalisation of teachers, families, and educational researchers from policymaking processes have deepened this polarisation.

The effects on the educational community have been substantial. Teachers report increasing workloads and constant adjustment to legislative changes, often without adequate training or institutional support. Many say they now spend more time on administrative tasks than on meaningful teaching and learning. Students, meanwhile, encounter an education system marked by inconsistency, fragmentation, and a lack of clear direction—conditions that are especially problematic in an era of rapid social and technological change.

Addressing this persistent instability requires more than new policy. Spain urgently needs a long-term national education pact supported by all major political parties—one capable of withstanding changes in government and offering a stable, coherent framework for future development. In parallel, educational policy must be grounded in independent, evidence-based evaluation. Teachers should be entrusted with greater professional autonomy, and targeted investments must be made in training, infrastructure, digital tools, and smaller class sizes.