By ÁNGELES GALINO CARRILLO.- This presentation discusses the pedagogical anthropology of Pedro Poveda with the desire to deepen into the relationship between his educational concepts and the man or woman to educate in accordance with them. This is not aseptic, as it might seem. Judging by the educational meetings –or conferences-, or by specialized publications, discussions focus on content, methods, techniques, organization, and others. Fundamental issues of pedagogy. However, relatively rarely the subject to be formed emerges at the forefront, the one about whom educators could and should say: "I am here because you are here."

 Well, among the fundamental issues raised by different pedagogical anthropologies, in a synthesis of synthesis, it is worth mentioning the following two:

1. What can be drawn from the human way of being to understand education? This question seeks to know and guide education and its practice in accordance with the essential reality of man. It creates a kind of discourse that is not directly addressed in this talk.
2. What does the universal fact of education tell us about the essence of man? This question seeks to reach the human being from the perspective of education. This will necessarily lead, in turn, to education itself. This, in general terms. In our case, what does Educator Poveda say about the human way of being and living which underlies and, at the same time, inspires his pedagogy?

Based on this question, my presentation interprets certain significant characteristics of the educational proposal of Poveda, namely: the subject of education from the point of view of gender, the centrality of the educational process and educational institutions, to infer from them the conception of the human person that inspires them and to which they aim.

I will make use of written text, actions and oral testimony, the three avenues that lead us to the author.

THE SUBJECT OF EDUCATION

"The educability of students is the fundamental concept of pedagogy," wrote Herbart." “From evolutionary educability we find traits in the noblest animals, he continues, but the educability of the will for morality we only recognize in man." Given the conditions for educability, the human being, born imperfect but bursting with possibilities, is philosophically and scientifically established as the subject of education.

I quote Herbart because this author became well known in the second half of the last century and is one of the most appreciated by Poveda.

Fr. Pedro is also among the thinkers who see educability as an essential category of human beings. I will not go into the substance of the matter, namely the ability to educate oneself belogs exclusively to the human being as such. However, it should be clarified what, in his view, means taking education as an essential category of human beings, from the point of view of gender.

(To read the full article, download the attachment, in Spanish, at the bottom of this page). ).

ÁNGELES GALINO CARRILLO 

Professor Emeritus at Complutense University of Madrid.
In Atreverse a educar. Pedagogical Conference, Pedro Poveda educador. Vol. 2. Narcea Ed. Madrid 1998