VIC, Catalonia – A conference at the University of Vic recently explored the enduring legacy of Catalan pedagogue Marta Mata i Garriga, marking the centenary of her birth. Professors Maria Carme Bernal and Isabel Muntañà, guided by Vanesa Amat, presented "Reading and Writing", re-examining Mata's texts and her approach to teaching literacy in schools.
Mata (1926-2006) was a teacher and a key figure in Catalonia's pedagogical renewal. She co-founded the Rosa Sensat School for Teachers in 1965, an organisation that became central to developing new teaching methods during a period of clandestinity. Her work is considered fundamental to understanding modern Catalan education.
Beyond her pedagogical contributions, Mata was also active in politics following Spain's transition to democracy. She held various educational roles in both Spanish and Catalan institutions, focusing on education, schooling, language, and culture. A member of the PSC from 1976, she served as a deputy and senator in Madrid, a deputy in the Parliament of Catalonia, and a councillor in Barcelona City Council, where she led the Education department from 1987 to 1995. She was also a deputy in the Barcelona Provincial Council from 1987 to 1991. Among her many initiatives were projects and laws related to linguistic normalisation.
Mata received numerous awards, including the Gold Medal of Barcelona for Scientific Merit and the Creu de Sant Jordi from the Generalitat de Catalunya, both in 1997. She was awarded an honorary doctorate by the Autonomous University of Barcelona in 1999 and the Ramon Fuster prize in 2002. In 1990, she received the Alfonso X the Wise Medal.
Mata's Educational Philosophy
Mata was a prolific writer, publishing hundreds of articles in various journals and newspapers. She adapted literary works and stories, created materials for teachers, particularly in language and literature didactics, and authored significant pedagogical essays. Her book, Per avançar en l’educació (To advance in education), published by Eumo, consolidated her pedagogical proposals. According to her foundation, these proposals centred on public education as a driver of social justice, child-centred schooling that promotes participation and reading, teacher training as essential for good education, children's rights and the link between education and citizenship, and language as a core educational element.
Per avançar en l’educació served as a starting point for the discussion between Bernal and Muntañà, with Amat using excerpts to guide their interventions. The aim was to connect Mata's experiences with those of the presenters and future teachers, who will soon face the challenge of teaching reading and writing. The event was open to the public, with a particular focus on students of early childhood and primary education.
Promoting Children's Literature
One key lesson from Mata's work, highlighted by Muntañà, is the commitment to nation-building through education, placing children's learning at the centre of their lives. This education, Muntañà said, had three pillars: school, extracurricular activities, and public life, now known as "360° education". To build, or rather, 'save' the country, it was critical to promote children's and young adult literature in Catalan after the devastation of the 1936-1939 war. Before the conflict, Catalan children's and youth literature had flourished, a period that took considerable effort to recover.
Mata was involved in creating Cavall Fort, a children's magazine that helped replace Spanish-only children's products with Catalan materials, often with strong pedagogical guidance. Both presenters also noted the importance of authors who were also teachers, such as Emili Teixidor, in the revival of Catalan children's and young adult literature. The University of Vic holds Teixidor's archives.
The School's Role in Reading Habits
A second key lesson is the school's role in both teaching reading and fostering reading habits. Muntañà and Bernal recalled having few books at home but a strong tradition of oral storytelling. Mothers, in particular, transmitted a rich oral narrative tradition that significantly influenced them. Bernal stated that schools are now a critical factor, a compensatory force to combat family inequalities, and therefore, teachers must understand their decisive motivational role in shaping future readers. She also stressed that language learning goes beyond instrumental aspects to an anthropological one, saying it "is what makes us human and affects children's personalities."
Muntañà also emphasised teachers' responsibility in teaching literacy. "Learning to read and write involves a series of techniques and steps that children do not take on their own," she said. "Teachers must master the technique and seek good materials. They must know which texts to choose and be willing to master techniques, from reading aloud to linguistic games." The presenters highlighted Mata's role in creating quality materials when almost everything had to be built from scratch. They demonstrated this by reading various versions of 'Little Red Riding Hood' aloud. "Because we do not believe in cancellations," they said, "literary texts are just texts." They also stressed that teachers need skills in selecting, reading, and fostering reading, as it is not enough for children to read; they must learn to read well.
Mata's key insight was that this requires "hours of dedication, knowing the materials, and staying up-to-date." This comes at a time when Catalan children's and young adult literature is thriving, with many original proposals and good publishing, though sometimes texts are too reliant on images.
School Libraries and Future Steps
School libraries play a primary role in this process. Muntañà argued they should be re-imagined as dynamic agents for reading that also energise the school. Catalonia's National Reading Plan mandates that all public schools must have a school library, a requirement currently met by only 40% of centres. This would mean that the 2,700 public schools should have a librarian or a teacher dedicated to this role. However, many school libraries have staff for only a few hours, mostly paid by parent associations, indicating a significant gap in resources and implementation.
