The educational law of 1990, the Ley Organica de Ordenacion General del Sistema Educativo (LOGSE) (Law on the General Organization of the Educational System), established a new system which started in 1991-92 school-year. The main points of the new system are the following:

1. Basic education is compulsory and free of charge, and it is extended up to the age of 16, the legal age for starting work.
2. The educational system includes general and special education,

   i.e. the different levels of education are adapted to suit students with special needs.

3. All students have basic vocational training, which is given in secondary education. Specific vocational training is organized at two levels, the first at the end of compulsory secondary education, and the higher level at the end of the 'Baccalaureate'.
4. Improvement in the quality of teaching must be achieved via the renewal of the contents of the courses, improvement in human resources and material resources, and better use of the various instruments of the educational system.
5. Religious instruction is must be available at all schools, but it is voluntary for pupils.
6. Special systems are applied for artistic education and language learning.

GENERAL EDUCATION IS ORGANIZED AS FOLLOWS:

• NURSERY INFANT EDUCATION (0 TO 6 YEARS)
• PRIMARY EDUCATION (6 TO 12 YEARS)
• COMPULSORY SECONDARY EDUCATION (12 TO 16 YEARS)
• POST-COMPULSORY SECONDARY EDUCATION, INCLUDING THE BACCALAUREATE AND THE MIDDLE GRADE OF VOCATIONAL TRAINING
• UPPER GRADE VOCATIONAL TRAINING
• UNIVERSITY EDUCATION (To become university student a university entrance examination must be passed)

Please, ask for any of the topics of this chapter for more details. Thank-you, very much.