Madrid, Spain, Mar 12, 2006 / 22:00 pm
Eduardo Hertfelder, president of Spain’s Institute for Family Policy, has called for the resignation of Spain’s Secretary for Education, Alejandro Tiana, for defending unconstitutional positions.
Tiana recently said that parents are not the prime educators of their children because “in a modern educational system” the State cannot be given a subsidiary role with respect to families.” Hertfelder called thestatements an attack on the rights of parents, who are defended in Spain’s constitution.
Ignacio Arsuaga, president of the civil rights watch-dog website, www.hazteoir.org, also joined in the call for Tiana’s resignation saying he has “placed himself above the Spanish Constitution, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other pacts and international statements ratified by Spain.” He said the website would post a report on the efforts by the government to remove religious education from Spain and impose “citizen education.”
Alejandro Tiana is currently traveling the country explaining the new law on education that is being debated in the Spanish Senate. He called the debate “polished” and “enriching.” Nevertheless, government officials have not yet accepted to meet with those opposed to the new law.