Empire Rising: Spain - Chapter 270 - 169: 1875 (Main Text, Triple Bonus - ) (5)

Currently, the lives of Spaniards are much improved compared to before the revolution, and naturally, these children and youths who ought to be in school no longer need to enter factories to sell their labor.

Consequently, the illiteracy rate in Spain has officially dropped below 40%, more precisely below 39%.

Although there is no overly precise ratio, it can be confirmed that the illiterate population in Spain is now less than 7 million, and most Spaniards have received basic education.

As literacy efforts progress, the difficulty of promoting literacy continues to decrease. Initially, Spain was quite short on candidates for literacy work teachers, but currently, there is no shortage of literacy educators.

In the past, uneducated farmers were commonly seen in Spain, but now in small towns, educated and cultured individuals are commonly seen.

Those truly uneducated either remain in factories selling labor to earn money or engage in agricultural work, leaving them with little time to receive education.

While the continuous decline in the illiterate population is a good thing, as literacy efforts proceed, a bottleneck phase will inevitably be reached.

After all, not all illiterate people can receive education; some are elderly and children, while others are family breadwinners who must earn a living.

After busy work, these people indeed lack the time and energy to participate in literacy education. Carlo also understands this, so Spain’s literacy education goals have always aimed not at clearing to zero but at reducing to below 20%.

For those truly unable to participate in literacy education, the government can only give up. However, more effort must be made in educating their next generation. This generation of Spaniards may be unsuitable for education, but the next generation will have ample opportunities for education.

One major reason for the smooth progress of literacy education is that Spain has not received too much immigrant population during this period.

The Ministry of Education only needs to focus on the domestic population of over ten million Spaniards. The work pressure is not that great.

If there were a large influx of immigrants every year, it would be an overwhelming burden for the education department. After all, most immigrants have not received very good education, these immigrants are scattered across the country, and some even don’t understand Spanish, making the spread of literacy education very difficult.

Compared to literacy education, the construction of Spanish universities is also quite rapid.

Currently, all universities in Spain collectively enroll more than 7,000 students annually.

Moreover, compared to the initial situation where fewer than 1,000 people chose physics and chemistry-related majors, Spanish universities now significantly emphasize these fields.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Education regarding the admission information of various universities, in 1874 among the more than 7,000 students admitted, over 3,000 students applied for majors in mathematics, physics, and chemistry.

The number of students in civil engineering has also exceeded a thousand, as Spain in its development stage has a high demand for civil engineering graduates.

In the past, Spain did not effectively manage domestic universities, leading to university specialization being determined by students’ application preferences.

At that time, students preferred to apply for literature and arts, resulting in most Spanish universities focusing on these areas, followed by engineering and medical fields.

Currently, Spanish universities have shifted from constructing majors desired by students to constructing those needed by the country. Science-related majors have become the most applied for by students, because Spain lacks talent in these areas.

Carlo’s attitude towards universities is simple: Spanish universities should cultivate more talents for the Spanish government and the nation.

Universities should nurture talents needed by their own country rather than talents needed by other countries. If a country’s universities only aim to cultivate talents for other nations, then what is the point of these universities? They might as well be abolished and rebuilt to meet the country’s needs.

It’s worth mentioning that although the Royal Science Academy has not been established for many years, it has already become one of the most renowned universities in Spain.

After all, being a school with emphasis from the Royal Family, plus the invitation of many famous European scientists and researchers, gaining fame in Spain is quite easy.

Even within Europe, the Royal Science Academy has some recognition, attracting a few non-Spanish students to apply.

Currently, the Royal Science Academy alone cultivates many talents in mathematics, physics, and chemistry for Spain every year. Most of them are experimental talents focused on practicality, and many focus on theoretical aspects, which are areas of shortage in Spain.

To help gifted students from underprivileged backgrounds, Carlo has established the Royal Scholarship across all universities in Spain.

Meeting the three criteria of being a Spanish citizen, academically excellent, and from a poor family, one can apply for the Royal Scholarship.

Currently, with more than 20,000 students enrolled across all Spanish universities, the Royal Scholarship established by Carlo provides over 2,000 scholarships annually, each worth more than 100 Pesseta, equivalent to half a year’s wages for an average Spaniard.

In reality, this is not much; all scholarships cost only 200,000 Pesseta annually.

But this grants Carlo great fame, as one in ten university students receives a scholarship, which is quite a significant probability.

Although Carlo is capable of providing scholarships for most or even every student, doing so isn’t necessarily positive.

Scholarships should only assist a portion of impoverished students, also letting everyone understand their value.

If the majority received them, naturally no one would cherish the scholarships. After all, the things one cannot obtain are the most precious; only a few can receive scholarships, highlighting their worth and Carlo’s benevolence in providing them.

In fact, besides this scholarship, the Royal Family’s investment in education is not insignificant.

Every university has a university cafeteria, with extra meal subsidies provided by the Royal Family for students. These students can spend less and enjoy more lavish meals, forming one of Carlo’s methods to win hearts in universities.

The student group is still quite important for Spain. Through scholarships and meal subsidies, these university students can develop fondness for the Royal Family and Carlo.

Among these students, some will rise to high positions in the country, and some will enter various industries to hold diverse roles.

No matter their future path, as long as they have fondness for Carlo from their university days, they are more likely to support Carlo’s regime in the future.