The foundation has been working for equity for 57 years and now incorporates it into its name. At a time when many voices question that all people deserve the same rights, the foundation makes an explicit defense of its mission and is now called Equitat.org.
The foundation will continue to focus on education. In education, equity means that every child and young person has access to the opportunities and resources they need to reach their potential. It will also maintain the symbol that has identified it for years, to continue being recognizable to the whole community.
A change like this always raises questions, and we want to address them. As always, we also have a mailbox available where you can send us questions, proposals, and criticisms.
A statement of intent in defense of equity
By incorporating equity into the name, we want to make the foundation’s mission more visible: we are a social entity that fights against educational inequalities. During Franco’s dictatorship, the founders committed to equity to contribute to a society in which everyone can progress, not just a few. In 2009, this led the foundation to focus its activity on education.
At a time of polarization and questioning of social progress, we decide to explicitly claim equity. This questioning is especially dangerous in education, because on the one hand it is essential to correct inequalities, while on the other hand the education system continues to be marked by serious inequalities.
Equity is the guarantee of a quality education system
Moreover, the quality of a system also depends on its ability to correct inequalities. This means that without equity in the education system there cannot be quality education. Equity, therefore, is neither a luxury nor an assistentialist policy “for the poor”. Equity is indispensable for excellence, the real test of a good education system.
The foundation wants to speak more clearly
With the name change, the foundation wants to explain more directly that it works for equity. Equity is part of the approach and development of every report, program, and alliance it has promoted since 1969, but until now the name did not state it explicitly. Openly stating the goal we work for strengthens transparency and helps build trust. Equitat.org is also a way to make our commitment, our values, and our independence more visible. We also place equity at the center to help bring this necessary principle into the public debate.
There are thousands of people committed to equity
Thousands of entities, people, professionals, and institutions work for equity. The commitment to Equitat.org aims to highlight that the cause of equity has many people willing to make it possible. It also seeks to be a meeting point, at a time when distrust toward institutions and organizations is growing, alongside withdrawal and democratic regression. It is a protective network, but also a network of shared aspirations.
“.org” because we are a social entity that brings many people together
The foundation’s activity is possible thanks to a professional team of more than 50 people, a network of more than 1,800 collaborators, and more than 2,900 volunteers. In addition, a community of more than 40,000 people interested in equity regularly follows our work. We wanted the foundation’s name to reflect that we are a collective of many people involved in the cause of equity.
Some questions that the name change may raise:
Is this a change to avoid criticism and being singled out?
On the contrary. We want to take a clear stand and more explicitly claim everything we have done since 1969. Putting the cause of equity in our name is, today, a very explicit message, a statement of intent. Far from avoiding criticism, we are convinced that the change will likely intensify criticism from groups and collectives opposed to equity.
VOX, Aliança Catalana and platforms that amplify their positions have been targeting us for some time. Moreover, at the European level there is a cultural battle in education promoted by the far right, and Catalonia is not exempt from it. Political currents that, as explained by Enrique-Javier Díez-Gutiérrez (“Pedagogía Antifascista”) and Mauro-Rafael Jarquín-Ramírez, promote a “catastrophic discourse that persistently attacks trust in democratic institutions and in public education and seeks a selective and segregated school instead of an inclusive and comprehensive one.”
Equity or equality?
Equality guarantees rights; equity guarantees real opportunities. Aspiring to equality—establishing that all people deserve the same respect, dignity, rights, and consideration—requires equity. We want to promote equity because it recognizes that people have unequal starting points and need different supports. Without equity, meritocracy is an illusion. Equity makes us collectively better and is the path toward real equality.
Will Equitat.org stop working in education?
No. The foundation will continue to focus on education, as it has since 2009. Because equity is not an abstract concept; it materializes above all through education. Having access to quality educational opportunities is essential to reverse poverty, reduce inequalities, and make a better country possible for everyone.
Does committing to equity lower overall standards?
No, not at all. The dichotomy between quality and equity is false. In fact, equity is the real test of the excellence of an education system, which largely depends on its ability to educate those children and young people who most need education to thrive. A system that is only capable of educating children from families with high educational levels, good economic conditions, and all necessary support cannot be a good education system, not even for those children and young people. The poor educational results accumulated in Catalonia, for example, are explained by serious inequalities in outcomes and harm the progress of the whole country.
The far right insists on opposing equity and excellence because it seeks to continue reserving education and opportunities for progress for those who can afford them.
Does committing to equity go against effort?
On the contrary. Committing to equity means ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to make an effort. Right now, being born into one family or another, growing up in one neighborhood or another, or attending one school or another conditions a person’s educational opportunities. With one social educator for every 1,000 vulnerable students, or a mere 1% of the education budget allocated to scholarships, what goes against effort is the lack of conditions that allow children and young people to make that effort.
