Chapter 9 - MINORCA TODAY
 
 
 

Administratively, Menorca today forms a Province of the Balearic Islands, which is one of the fifty autonomous provinces of Spain. Each autonomous province has its own popularly-elected government and wide powers in areas such as education and culture. National defence and foreign policy are controlled by Spain's national government, but many other areas of responsibility are shared by the national and regional governments. Cities and towns have mayors and town councils, elected by popular vote.
The provincial capital is at Palma in Majorca but, apart from official connections, Menorcans feel that for ethnic and historical reasons they have more kinship with Barcelona and the mainland peninsula.

Minorca is sufficiently important to have a deputy civil governor who is resident on the island, with his headquarters in the Plaza Miranda (Delegacion Gobiemo Civil), Mahon. He presides over a consultative body, a provincial assembly known as Consell Insular (Island Council), which is elected by democratic vote and is now situated  in the new urbanisation of Malbuger.

As Menorca could again be strategically important in a national emergency, it also has a military governor, whose residence and headquarters (Gobiemo Militar) are in the Calle Isobel II in Mahon. He has no civil jurisdiction in time of peace, except in so far as he advises on military matters.

LANGUAGES
The statute recognizes both Castilian (Spanish) and Catalan as official languages of the autonomous community. The island's own versions of Catalan, are dialectic variations and are spoken with notable differences both between the islands and between towns within the same islands. Franco made speaking anything other than Castilian a punishable offence.  The sudden freedom to speak in the local Catalan tongue that came with the end of the Franco regime has led to a certain amount of chaos. Catalan is now taught at schools, and locals are worrying that the Menorcan dialect will be lost.

SOCIAL SERVICES
The old Residencia of Monte Toro hospital is now closed after the building of the new hospital called Oliver Mateu in Mahon. There are no other hospitals on the island, except Ciutadella has a private clinic/hospital and Mahon has an additional hospital for insured private patients known as the Residencia Sanitaria (Mutualidad).  Minorcan doctors are trained to a high standard, and routine major surgery is carried out at these hospitals. Advanced specialist surgery is carried out at Palma.
Menorcans share in the provisions of a state medical service, which is obligatory to lower-paid workers and their dependants, but is not as comprehensive as the British National Health Service. It is known as SOB, and is administered by a National Security Institute, which works in collaboration with mutual insurance societies and private agencies.
Sickness benefits are approximately 75 per cent of basic wages and dependant allowances, for thirty-nine weeks in a year. Hospitalisation and medicines in hospital are free up to twelve weeks. These limitations are clearly due to financial reasons. Many workers obtain longer benefit by contributing to one of the mutual societies. Menorcans who because of a high income fall outside the state scheme also insure privately. This covers hospital treatment, but not medicines.
Maternity benefits are comparatively generous, except for pre-natal care, which does not operate until the sixth month of pregnancy. However, it includes treatment in hospital and 75% of earnings for six weeks before and for six weeks after birth.

General practitioner service
This differs from the British practice, and is linked with a hospital outpatient consulting service. Contributors are allotted to hospital outpatient clinics where they are seen by the general practitioner on whose list they have been placed.
The proportion of doctors to population compares favourably with other European countries and with America.

Social security payments
National insurance is compulsory, and covers the following contingencies: temporary absence from work, accidents, and assistance to dependants, permanent incapacity, widows' and old age pensions. Employee and employer jointly contribute the last.

EDUCATION
Menorcans today, with increasing international contacts, place a high value on the importance of education. They also equate education with culture. Schools conform to the general Spanish pattern, and are either state-controlled or private. In most parts of Spain schooling is now available for children from the age of three, although the compulsory age for starting school is five years old. Children are admitted once a year in September, strictly according to the calendar year of their birth

Infant education
Educación Infantil or EI lasts for three years and teaches children about social, personal and environmental values, as well as developing their physical and mental skills. They are gradually introduced to reading and writing from 4 years old and will have covered their alphabet by the end of EI, although fluent reading ability is not expected. EI is one of the newest areas of Spanish education and is generally well-taught by dedicated specialist teachers.

Primary education 
At six, or thereabouts, children progress to Educación Primaria (EP). This lasts for six years and is divided into three cycles or "ciclos". The objectives of primary education are planned over each two year period, at the end of which a child who is considered not to have achieved these objectives, may be required to repeat the second year of the cycle. Pupils study the following subjects throughout Primary education: Spanish language; Maths; Conocimiento del Medio (A general knowledge subject which includes biology, history, geography, general and local knowledge and social awareness); Physical Education; Art and craft and a second language which is usually English.
In addition most pupils will study Religion which mainly consists of teaching Catholic doctrine. Schools are required to offer an alternative to children who opt out, but if there are not many, they may end up sitting in with another class or in the staff room with the class teacher. In some schools this time might be used to offer extra language support. 
Classes are always mixed ability in Spain as the concept of "streaming" is unknown. They may give foreign children language support if they have time. 
From about year 3, children are introduced to exams each term, but there is no equivalent to National testing in the Spanish system. Although state education is free, parents will have to buy all textbooks and materials. Uniforms are generally not worn, except in religious grant-assisted schools.

Secondary education
From about age 12 children move on to Secondary school (El Instituto). The secondary system is modelled loosely on the British comprehensive system. The first four years are called "la E.S.O." (Educación Secundaria Obligatoria). Children can leave school at the end of this section, or at the age of 16. 
A wide range of secondary subjects are taught, including a language choice between French and English. At one time secondary education in Spain was very conventional with a lot of rote learning and constant tests and examinations. There have been marked improvements with the introduction of project work, continuous assessment and more up-to-date and relevant syllabuses. 
At the end of the four year E.S.O., students may leave school, go on to the two-year "Bachillerato" academic course, or enroll on practical training courses called "modulos". After two years in Bachillerato, they have intensive examinations during the month of May and their final mark is based on a combination of examination results and continuous assessment. A month later, in June, those who wish to go to University take a general University entrance examination (P.A.U.) and the University course they are able to follow depends on the result of this examination along with their Bachillerato results.
A far higher percentage of students attend University in Spain than in Britain. There are very few University grants in Spain so sending a child to University is a major investment. Students may take as long as necessary to complete a  course, repeating them and spreading out examinations over years. There is a general tendency to attend the University nearest to your home, and many students stay at home or live with relatives in the city to save money.
 
 

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