Aranda de Duero, Spain. Two years ago in Spain there were more than twenty-six thousand non-university educational establishments. Of them only seven have been accredited by the European Foundation for Quality Management (EFQM) with the 500+ seal.
With this the quality of a school is publicly certified in its management and academic, relational and administrative organization. Beginning this month one of these seven is the Colegio Claret of Aranda de Duero.
A simple visit to their website allows one to immediately see that the Center is at the height of the 21st century without renouncing his Christian and Claretian identity.
The school appeals to the values of Human Rights, the Social Doctrine of the Church and the Claretian tradition as inspirational in the style of training it offers to its more than six hundred students. More than 110 years of missionary service in education accredited it: the school taught its first classes at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1903 it had 160 students. It is difficult to calculate how many thousands of families have benefited since then.
The certificate that certifies the possession of the EFQM 500+ seal was received in a public ceremony, in the presence of numerous civil authorities by the Director-Coordinator of the School, Miguel Ángel Niño de la Fuente. He was accompanied by, among others, Fr. José Basilio Álvarez Llana the coordinator of the Certification team, created this year to animate the seven schools in the Province of Santiago.
The current community of Aranda de Duero is currently comprised of one brother and four priests, with a median age of 64 years, all of whom are involved in some way in the life of the school.
As the other colleges in the Province of Santiago, the Colegio Claret de Aranda gives priority to education in gospel values, with a very special attention to those linked with justice, solidarity and peace. The institution attempts to help the students discover the project of God for their lives, seeking to make them good citizens. Increasingly, there more immigrants, families with problems, and young people in difficulty who are directed to the center, finding open the doors of the educational community.
