The sanctity of marriage and the preservation of the family are two of the most important pillars of the Roman Catholic faith. Surprisingly, in predominantly Roman Catholic Spain where 76% of the population have declared themselves Catholic, the marriage contract has less significance than a business contract. It has become a commodity that can be cashed in for a speedy divorce and traded for a college degree. Divorce has become a preferred option for securing their children's future.
The option to divorce is borne out of the need to gain more "underprivileged points" for a student coming from a single parent home. Thus, parents file for divorce where an Official Separation can be obtained within 3 weeks, to be subsequently followed by the legal divorce papers. The issue of quality of education and learning standards in
Spain's government funded school system drives parents to get their children in state schools of their choice. The competition for garnering admission points forces them to the extreme of filing for divorce, even if they continue to live together as husband and wife.
At an alarming 50% rate of increase, the reason for divorce has been traced to the season of divorce - before the opening of the school year. A number of students have been dismissed when their "divorced parents" were found living together. Complaints from other parents have also unearthed the practice of divorce cases for the purpose of admission in state schools. Parent patrols have even been organized to check out the addresses given to determine if the parents live separately or in the same home. Normally, parents under-declared their income to get better points, but these have been trumped by single parent homes of divorced or officially separated couples. Some couples were seen filing for reconciliation after their child has been accepted for admission.
It's lack of government initiative in encouraging an educational system to provide enough schools, the decline in the teaching of religion which has become an elective, the relegation of the Spanish language as a second language in favor of local languages in some state schools, and the increase in number of immigrants who occupy low end jobs, that have spurred the tough competition for places in choice state schools. In addition, the streamlining of the divorce process has contributed to the divorce phenomenon because of its advantage in gaining admission points. A sham divorce is not a legal offense in Spain.
The remarkable creativity of the human mind in using laws and legal processes to deceptively secure undue advantage knows no limit. Parents are willing to trash their marriage in front of a judge, effectively making the marriage contract a worthless piece of paper. A degree is more important than the vows they signed in the presence of God. This is the kind of education and profound learning they are imparting to their college bound child: to cheat, lie, deceive and to justify these actions to get ahead and to earn more. No wonder religion has been demoted in Spanish schools, its values and principles are worthless, and its application and practice are irrelevant.
Haaarrrwwwwk..Twoooooooph...Ting!
The option to divorce is borne out of the need to gain more "underprivileged points" for a student coming from a single parent home. Thus, parents file for divorce where an Official Separation can be obtained within 3 weeks, to be subsequently followed by the legal divorce papers. The issue of quality of education and learning standards in
Spain's government funded school system drives parents to get their children in state schools of their choice. The competition for garnering admission points forces them to the extreme of filing for divorce, even if they continue to live together as husband and wife.At an alarming 50% rate of increase, the reason for divorce has been traced to the season of divorce - before the opening of the school year. A number of students have been dismissed when their "divorced parents" were found living together. Complaints from other parents have also unearthed the practice of divorce cases for the purpose of admission in state schools. Parent patrols have even been organized to check out the addresses given to determine if the parents live separately or in the same home. Normally, parents under-declared their income to get better points, but these have been trumped by single parent homes of divorced or officially separated couples. Some couples were seen filing for reconciliation after their child has been accepted for admission.
It's lack of government initiative in encouraging an educational system to provide enough schools, the decline in the teaching of religion which has become an elective, the relegation of the Spanish language as a second language in favor of local languages in some state schools, and the increase in number of immigrants who occupy low end jobs, that have spurred the tough competition for places in choice state schools. In addition, the streamlining of the divorce process has contributed to the divorce phenomenon because of its advantage in gaining admission points. A sham divorce is not a legal offense in Spain.
The remarkable creativity of the human mind in using laws and legal processes to deceptively secure undue advantage knows no limit. Parents are willing to trash their marriage in front of a judge, effectively making the marriage contract a worthless piece of paper. A degree is more important than the vows they signed in the presence of God. This is the kind of education and profound learning they are imparting to their college bound child: to cheat, lie, deceive and to justify these actions to get ahead and to earn more. No wonder religion has been demoted in Spanish schools, its values and principles are worthless, and its application and practice are irrelevant.
Haaarrrwwwwk..Twoooooooph...Ting!
