OPPOSITION leaders of the central government have announced they intend to push for an education law reform to cut down on poor results.

They want to see measures put in place to reduce the number of exam failures amongst school-leavers, reinforce standards of teaching in secondary schools and improve language-learning.

Mariano Rajoy, head of the PP, says he hopes to reach an agreement with the socialist government following a meeting on September 8 to discuss the issue.

He says it is critical that the State take measures to cut down on the number of pupils leaving at 16, the number who leave without having passed their ESO (Spain’s answer to GCSEs) and to increase the percentage of those who pass their courses when they take vocational qualifications instead of going to university.

Education is an essential condition to be able to guarantee equal opportunities, social cohesion and economic competition, stresses Rajoy.

New reforms should also place priority on discipline in the classroom, encouraging respect for teachers and increasing their authority, and rewarding good practices.

Socialist parliamentary spokesman, José Antonio Alonso (pictured) says he will support the PP in their quest to revamp education laws.

The last education reform took the shape of the Ley Orgánica de Educación (LOE) at the end of 2005.

It was met with controversy from parents and teachers alike, and its application remains relatively unpopular.