# Ministry of Education (Spain)

The Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports (MEFPD) is the department of the Government of Spain responsible for proposing and carrying out the government policy on education and vocational training. This covers all the teachings of the education system —except university education—, including physical education, through the National Sports Council. Likewise, it is also the responsibility of this Department the promotion of cooperation actions and, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the promotion of international relations in the field of non-university education.
Education in Spain is established as a decentralized system in which the regions have powers over the basic and secondary education while the central government establishes the general basis of the system and it is responsible for the tertiary education. Currently, the Education Ministry has no authority over universities because it is the responsibility of the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. As of 2018, there are more than 550,000 school teachers and more than 7,000 university professors.
The MEFP is headed by the Minister of Education, who is appointed by the Monarch on the advice of the Prime Minister. The Minister is assisted by the Secretary of State for Education, the president of the National Sports Council (with rank of secretary of state), the Secretary-General for Vocational Training (with the rank of under-secretary) and the Ministry's Under-Secretary. In addition, in order to coordinate the education system it exists the Sectoral Conference on Education that is composed by the Education Minister and the Regional Ministers of Education.
Since July 2021, the minister has been Pilar Alegría, from the Spanish Socialist Workers Party.

## History
### Early period

The Ministry of Education was created during the regency of Maria Christina of Austria by 1900 Budget Act. However, the government policy on education appeared time before. Section 369 of the Constitution of 1812 created the Directorate-General for Studies for the management of public education. Thirteen years later the Directorate-General for Studies acquired the name of Inspectorate-General for Public Instruction and, in 1834 it recovers its original denomination. The Royal Decree of May 13, 1846, change its name to Directorate-General for Public Instruction.
It depended on many departments, going through the Secretariat of the Dispatch of Grace and Justice under the reign of Ferdinand VII; the Secretariat of the Dispatch of Development (later called of the Interior) in 1832 with powers on public instruction, universities, economic societies, schools, Royal Academies, Primary Schools and Conservatories of Art and music; the Secretariat of the Dispatch of the Governance of the Realm in 1835 and Secretariat of the Dispatch of Commerce, Instruction and Public Works in 1847.
Since 1855, these responsibilities returned to the Ministry of Development and stayed that way until 1900. During this 45 years, the Directorate-General for Public Instruction assumed powers on Culture and it was divided in offices: universities; high schools; basic schools; archives, libraries and museums; fine arts and development; Accounting and the Intellectual and Industrial Property Bulletin.

#### 1886 project

The growing importance of education was reflected not only by the approval of several education laws of 1857, but also by a Royal Decree sanctioned by the queen regent, Maria Christina of Austria, on May 7, 1886, which established the division of the Ministry of Development into a Ministry of Public Instruction and of Sciences, Letters and Fine Arts, and a Ministry of Public Works, Agriculture, Industry and Trade. Despite that the decree mandated that the new ministries would be established on July 1, 1886, this did not materialize until the 1900 Budget Act.

### Late period

In 1900, the Ministry of Development split into two ministries, being one of them the Ministry of Public Instruction and Fine Arts. This ministry, that would maintain its denomination until the Civil War, it was driven by prime minister Francisco Silvela who appointed Antonio García Alix as the first Education Minister. PM Silvela had assumed the office a year before and after the disaster of the 1898, it was needed a cut of the government expenditure.
In order to comply with this, in April Silvela reshuffled the Cabinet suppressing the Ministry of Overseas —which lost the sense of its existence after the loss of the last colonies— and the Ministry of Development, creating in its place the Ministry of Public Instruction and of Agriculture.
With the premiership of the Count of Romanones it would begin to shape a model of Ministry with timid regenerationist airs. Initially, it had four sections: Universities and Institutes; First Teaching and Normal Schools; Fine arts; and Civil Constructions and Special Schools, whose work consisted in the promotion of public and private education in its different classes and degrees, the promotion of science and letters, Fine Arts, Archives, Libraries and Museums. It was also part of the ministry the Directorate-General for the Geographical and Statistical Institute.
Throughout those years, the Department widened its structure, with the creation of the Directorate-General for Primary Education (1911) and the Directorate-General for Fine Arts (1915). It was also at this time that the current headquarters were built on Alcalá Street 36 in Madrid.
In Second Republic, the Department assumed the competence on Vocational Training (until then dependent of Labour) and the Directorate-General for Technical and Superior Education is created. Briefly, between May 1937 and March 1939, the ministry merged with the Ministry of Health. After the victory of Franco, the Franco regime change its name to Ministry of National Education and the Department assumed the management of the Spanish and Maria Guerrero theaters, through the so-called National Council of Theaters, which in 1951 was ceded to the newly created Ministry of Information and Tourism.
During this period, the Spanish National Research Council was also created within the Ministry. Through Law 35/1966, of May 31, the Department changed its name to Ministry of Education and Science, which would last three decades. According to statements by the education minister Manuel Lora-Tamayo, it was intended, following recommendations of the Council of Europe and the OECD, to enhance the scientific and research work of the Spanish Administration and put it in direct relation with the tertiary education. An Undersecretariat for Higher Education and Research was also created.

### Democracy

During the reign of Juan Carlos I, the Spanish transition to democracy started and started the specialization of the Administration by creating new ministries for specific work areas. In this sense, in 1977 the Ministry of Culture was created assuming the Directorate-General for Artistic and Cultural Heritage. In 1979 it was created the Ministry of Universities and Research assuming those functions but was suppressed in 1981. In 1990, the National Sports Council was integrated in the Ministry.
After 1996, both Education and Culture merge again and it was created the Secretariats of State for Universities, Research and Development and for Culture, as well as the General Secretariat for Education and Vocational Training. However, under the second term of José María Aznar (2000–2004), Education loses the research competences for the benefit of the new Ministry of Science and Innovation.
In 2004, the new government of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero recovered the classic name of the Ministry of Education and Science. Again, Culture acquires ministerial rank and Science and Research return to Education. Only for four years, because in 2008 the Ministry of Science and Innovation was created assuming the responsibilities on University Education and Science. In return, the Ministry of Education is assigned the competence on Social Policy. This situation is maintained for one year: In 2009 the functions on tertiary education are returned to Education and the Social Policy goes to Health.
In the first government of Mariano Rajoy, on December 22, 2011, the Ministry of Education was again merged with Culture in the new Department of Education, Culture and Sport. After the motion of no confidence against Rajoy of 2018 and the formation of the new government of Pedro Sanchez in June 2018, the Ministry again broke away from Culture and also loses competences on universities, in favor of the Ministry of Science. It is now called the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, MEFP. In 2020, some responsibilities of the Ministry of Labour on vocational training in the labour market were transferred to the MEFP, which was boosted by promoting the Directorate-General for Training to General Secretariat.

## Structure

The current structure of the Department of Education is:
* The Secretariat of State for Education.
** The Directorate-General for Evaluation and Territorial Cooperation
*** The Deputy Directorate-General for Academic Organization
*** The Deputy Directorate-General for Territorial Cooperation and Educational Innovation
*** The National Institute for Educational Evaluation
*** The National Institute for Educational Technologies and Teacher Training
** The Directorate-General for Educational Planning and Management
*** The Deputy Directorate-General for Scholarships, Study Aid and Educational Promotion
*** The Foreign Education Unit
*** The Deputy Directorate-General for Centers and Programs
*** The Deputy Directorate-General for Education Inspection
* The General Secretariat for Vocational Training
** The Directorate-General for Planning, Innovation and Management of Vocational Training
*** The Deputy Directorate-General for Programs and Management
*** The Deputy Directorate-General for Centers and Entrepreneurship
*** The Center for Innovation and High-Performance Technique on Vocational Training
** The Deputy Directorate-General for Vocational Training Organization
** The Deputy Directorate-General for Orientation and Lifelong Learning
** The Deputy Directorate-General for Evaluation and Quality
* The National Sports Council (CSD)
** The Directorate-General for Sports.
*** The Deputy Directorate-General for High Competition
*** The Deputy Directorate-General for Sports Promotion and Innovation
*** The Deputy Directorate-General for Women and Sport
*** The Deputy Directorate-General for the Sport Legal Regime
*** The General Secretariat
*** The Deputy Directorate-General for Sport Sciences
** The President's Cabinet
** The Deputy Directorate-General for Professional Sport and Financial Control
** The Press Office
** The Spanish Anti-Doping Agency
* The Undersecretariat of Education, Vocational Training and Sports
** The Technical General Secretariat
*** The Deputy Technical General Secretariat
*** The Deputy Directorate-General for Appeals and Court Relations
*** The Deputy Directorate-General for Statistics and Studies
*** The Deputy Directorate-General for Citizen Services, Documentation and Publications
** The Budget Office
** The Administrative Office
** The Deputy Directorate-General for Personnel
** The Deputy Directorate-General for Information and Communications Technologies
** The Deputy Directorate-General for Economic Management and the European Social Fund
** The Inspectorate-General of Services

## List of Ministers
### Regency of María Cristina for Alfonso XIII (1885-1902)

| Took office | Left office | Name | Party |
| April 18, 1900 | March 6, 1901 | Antonio García Alix (1) | |
| March 6, 1901 | March 19, 1902 | Álvaro de Figueroa y Torres (1) | |

### Reign of Alfonso XIII (1902–1923)

| Took office | Left office | Name | Party |
| May 17, 1902 | December 6, 1902 | Álvaro de Figueroa y Torres (1) | Liberal |
| December 6, 1902 | July 20, 1903 | Manuel Allendesalazar y Muñoz (1) | Conservador |
| July 20, 1903 | December 5, 1903 | Gabino Bugallal Araújo (1) | Liberal |
| December 5, 1903 | December 16, 1904 | Lorenzo Domínguez Pascual (1) | Conservador |
| December 16, 1904 | June 23, 1905 | Juan de la Cierva y Peñafiel (1) | |
| June 23, 1905 | October 31, 1905 | Andrés Mellado y Fernández (1) | Liberal |
| October 31, 1905 | December 1, 1905 | Manuel de Eguilior y Llaguno (1) | Liberal |
| December 1, 1905 | June 9, 1906 | Vicente Santamaría de Paredes (1) | Liberal |
| June 9, 1906 | July 6, 1906 | Alejandro San Martín y Satrústegui (1) | Liberal |
| July 6, 1906 | November 30, 1906 | Amalio Gimeno y Cabañas (1) | |
| November 30, 1906 | December 4, 1906 | Pedro Rodríguez de la Borbolla (1) | |
| December 4, 1906 | January 25, 1907 | Amalio Gimeno y Cabañas (1) | |
| January 25, 1907 | October 21, 1909 | Faustino Rodríguez San Pedro (1) | |
| October 21, 1909 | February 9, 1910 | Antonio Barroso Castillo (1) | Liberal |
| February 9, 1910 | June 9, 1910 | Álvaro de Figueroa y Torres (1) | |
| June 9, 1910 | January 2, 1911 | Julio Burell y Cuéllar (1) | Liberal |
| January 2, 1911 | April 3, 1911 | Amós Salvador Rodrigáñez (1) | |
| April 3, 1911 | March 12, 1912 | Amalio Gimeno y Cabañas (1) | |
| March 12, 1912 | December 31, 1912 | Santiago Alba Bonifaz (1) | |
| December 31, 1912 | June 13, 1913 | Antonio López Muñoz (1) | |
| June 13, 1913 | October 27, 1913 | Joaquín Ruiz Jiménez (1) | Liberal |
| October 27, 1913 | December 11, 1914 | Francisco Bergamín García (1) | |
| January 4, 1915 | October 25, 1915 | Saturnino Esteban Miguel y Collantes (1) | |
| October 25, 1915 | December 9, 1915 | Rafael Andrade Navarrete (1) | |
| December 9, 1915 | April 20, 1917 | Julio Burell y Cuéllar (1) | Liberal |
| April 20, 1917 | June 11, 1917 | José Francos Rodríguez (1) | |
| June 11, 1917 | November 3, 1917 | Rafael Andrade Navarrete (1) | |
| November 3, 1917 | March 2, 1918 | Felipe Rodés Baldrich (1) | |
| March 2, 1918 | March 21, 1918 | Luis Silvela Casado (1) | |
| March 23, 1918 | October 10, 1918 | Santiago Alba Bonifaz (1) | |
| October 10, 1918 | November 9, 1918 | Álvaro de Figueroa y Torres (1) | |
| November 9, 1918 | December 5, 1918 | Julio Burell y Cuéllar (1) | Liberal |
| December 5, 1918 | April 15, 1919 | Joaquín Salvatella Gisbert (1) | |
| April 15, 1919 | July 19, 1919 | César Silió y Cortés (1) | |
| July 19, 1919 | December 12, 1919 | José del Prado Palacio (1) | Conservador |
| December 12, 1919 | May 5, 1920 | Natalio Rivas Santiago (1) | |
| May 5, 1920 | September 1, 1920 | Luis Espada Guntín (1) | |
| September 1, 1920 | December 29, 1920 | Vicente Cabeza de Vaca (1) | |
| December 29, 1920 | March 12, 1921 | Tomás Montejo y Rica (1) | |
| March 12, 1921 | August 13, 1921 | Francisco Aparicio y Ruiz (1) | |
| August 14, 1921 | April 1, 1922 | César Silió y Cortés (1) | |
| April 1, 1922 | November 8, 1922 | Tomás Montejo y Rica (1) | |
| November 8, 1922 | December 5, 1922 | César Silió y Cortés (1) | |

### Dictadura de Primo de Rivera (1923–1931)

| Took office | Left office | Name |
| December 3, 1925 | January 28, 1930 | Eduardo Callejo de la Cuesta (1) |
| January 28, 1930 | February 24, 1930 | Jacobo Fitz-James Stuart y Falcó (1) |
| February 24, 1930 | February 18, 1931 | Elías Tormo y Monzó (1) |
| February 18, 1931 | April 14, 1931 | José Gascón y Marín (1) |

### II Republic (1931–1939)

| Took office | Left office | Name | Party |
| April 14, 1931 | December 16, 1931 | Marcelino Domingo Sanjuán (1) | PRRS |
| December 16, 1931 | June 12, 1933 | Fernando de los Ríos Urruti (1) | PSOE |
| June 12, 1933 | September 12, 1933 | Francisco Barnés Salinas (1) | PRRS |
| September 12, 1933 | December 16, 1933 | Domingo Barnés Salinas (1) | Indep. |
| December 16, 1933 | March 3, 1934 | José Pareja Yébenes (1) | PRR |
| March 3, 1934 | April 28, 1934 | Salvador de Madariaga Rojo (1) | Indep. |
| April 28, 1934 | December 29, 1934 | Filiberto Villalobos González (1) | PLD |
| December 29, 1934 | April 3, 1935 | Joaquín Dualde Gómez (1) | PLD |
| April 3, 1935 | May 6, 1935 | Ramón Prieto Bances (1) | Indep. |
| May 6, 1935 | September 25, 1935 | Joaquín Dualde Gómez (1) | PLD |
| September 25, 1935 | October 29, 1935 | Juan José Rocha García (1) | PRR |
| October 29, 1935 | December 14, 1935 | Luis Bardají López (1) | PRR |
| December 14, 1935 | December 30, 1935 | Manuel Becerra Fernández (1) | PRR |
| December 30, 1935 | February 19, 1936 | Filiberto Villalobos González (1) | PCNR |
| February 19, 1936 | May 13, 1936 | Marcelino Domingo Sanjuán (1) | IR |
| May 13, 1936 | July 19, 1936 | Francisco Barnés Salinas (1) | IR |
| July 19, 1936 | July 19, 1936 | Marcelino Domingo Sanjuán (1) | IR |
| July 19, 1936 | September 4, 1936 | Francisco Barnés Salinas (1) | IR |
| September 4, 1936 | May 17, 1937 | Jesús Hernández Tomás (1) | PCE |
| May 17, 1937 | April 5, 1938 | Jesús Hernández Tomás (2) | PCE |
| April 5, 1938 | April 1, 1939 | Segundo Blanco González (2) | CNT |

### Francoism (1936–1975)

| Took office | Left office | Name |
| October 3, 1936 | January 30, 1938 | José María Pemán Pemartín (3) |
| January 30, 1938 | August 9, 1939 | Pedro Sainz Rodríguez (4) |
| August 9, 1939 | July 18, 1951 | José Ibáñez Martín (4) |
| July 18, 1951 | February 16, 1956 | Joaquín Ruiz-Giménez Cortés (4) |
| February 16, 1956 | July 10, 1962 | Jesus Rubio García-Mina (4) |
| July 10, 1962 | April 18, 1968 | Manuel Lora-Tamayo Martín (4) |
| April 18, 1968 | June 9, 1973 | José Luis Villar Palasí (6) |
| June 9, 1973 | January 3, 1974 | Julio Rodríguez Martínez (5) |
| January 3, 1974 | December 12, 1975 | Cruz Martínez Esteruelas (5) |

### Reign of Juan Carlos I (born 1975)

| Took office | Left office | Name | Party | Cabinet |
| December 12, 1975 | July 5, 1976 | Carlos Robles Piquer (5) | |
| July 5, 1976 | July 4, 1977 | Aurelio Menéndez Menéndez (4) | |
| July 4, 1977 | February 25, 1978 | Íñigo Cavero Lataillade (4) | UCD | Cst. (Suárez) |
| February 25, 1978 | April 6, 1979 | Íñigo Cavero Lataillade (5) | UCD | Cst. (Suárez) |
| April 6, 1979 | September 9, 1980 | José Manuel Otero Novas (5) | UCD | I (Suárez) |
| September 9, 1980 | February 26, 1981 | Juan Antonio Ortega (5) | UCD | I (Suárez) |
| February 26, 1981 | December 2, 1981 | Juan Antonio Ortega (6) | UCD | I (Calvo-Sotelo) |
| December 2, 1981 | December 2, 1982 | Federico Mayor Zaragoza (5) | UCD | I (Calvo-Sotelo) |
| December 3, 1982 | July 12, 1988 | José María Maravall (5) | PSOE | II • III • IV (González) |
| July 12, 1988 | June 24, 1992 | Javier Solana Madariaga (5) | PSOE | II • III • IV (González) |
| June 24, 1992 | July 12, 1993 | Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba (5) | PSOE | II • III • IV (González) |
| July 13, 1993 | July 3, 1995 | Gustavo Suárez Pertierra (5) | PSOE | V (González) |
| July 3, 1995 | May 5, 1996 | Jerónimo Saavedra (5) | PSOE | V (González) |
| May 6, 1996 | January 20, 1999 | Esperanza Aguirre (7) | PP | VI (Aznar) |
| January 20, 1999 | April 27, 2000 | Mariano Rajoy Brey (7) | PP | VI (Aznar) |
| April 28, 2000 | April 17, 2004 | Pilar del Castillo (8) | PP | VII (Aznar) |
| April 18, 2004 | April 7, 2006 | María Jesús San Segundo (5) | PSOE | VIII (Zapatero) |
| April 7, 2006 | April 13, 2008 | Mercedes Cabrera (5) | PSOE | VIII (Zapatero) |
| April 14, 2008 | April 7, 2009 | Mercedes Cabrera (9) | PSOE | IX (Zapatero) |
| April 7, 2009 | December 22, 2011 | Ángel Gabilondo Pujol (4) | Indep. | IX (Zapatero) |
| December 22, 2011 | June 26, 2015 | José Ignacio Wert (8) | Indep. | X•XI•XII (Rajoy) |

### Reign of Felipe VI (2014– )

| Took office | Left office | Name | Party | Cabinet |
| June 26, 2015 | June 1, 2018 | Íñigo Méndez de Vigo (8) | PP | X•XI•XII (Rajoy) |
| June 7, 2018 | July 12, 2021 | Isabel Celaá (10) | PSOE | XII•XII•XIII•XIV (Sánchez) |
| July 12, 2021 | | Pilar Alegría (10)(11) | PSOE | XII•XII•XIII•XIV (Sánchez) |
Since the reign of Alfonso XIII, the current Ministry of Education has successively been known by the following titles:
* Ministry of Public Instruction and Fine Arts (1900–1937) (1).
* Ministry of Public Instruction and Health (1937–1939) (2).
* Commission of Culture and Education of the Technical Board of the State (1936–1938) (3).
* Ministry of Education (1938–1968, 1976–1978, 2009–2011) (4).
* Ministry of Education and Science (1973–1976, 1978–1981, 1981–1996, 2004–2008) (5).
* Ministry of Education and University (1968–1973, 1981) (6).
* Ministry of Education and Culture (1996–2000) (7).
* Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport (2000–2004, 2011–2018) (8).
* Ministry of Education, Social policy and Sport (2008–2009) (9).
* Ministry of Education and Vocational Training (2018–2023) (10).
* Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports (2023–) (11).