The simple tweet that exposes Innovamat and the educational failure in Catalonia

Sometimes, one image (or two) is worth more than a thousand reports. This week, a simple tweet has shown the critical state of education in Catalonia. The message showed two press screenshots.

In one, an interview with Innovamat founder Andreu Dotti, proclaiming that "we've been teaching math wrong our whole lives." In the other, the devastating headline of an international report: "a new international report confirms the collapse in math":

With no additional comments, the montage spoke for itself. Irony, contrast, and data in a single tweet that has achieved what many official studies haven't managed to do. That is, to crystallize the exhaustion of a growing part of Catalan society in the face of the educational shipwreck.

Innovamat, between "alternative" pedagogy and a million-euro business

Founded in 2017, Innovamat presents itself as a revolutionary pedagogical model, focused on "learning through play." In just a few years, it has been implemented in more than a third of Catalan schools, with fees of up to €60 ($65) per student and annual revenue of more than €16 million ($17.4 million). Part of this money comes directly from public funds. Specifically, €3.5 million ($3.8 million) in subsidies and more than €700,000 ($761,000) in contracts with the Generalitat.

Its promoters claim that their approach is based on "competencies" and logical understanding, not repetitive calculation. However, the reality reflected by international results is stubborn. Catalonia is at the bottom in math, not only in Spain, but in the entire OECD. According to the latest TIMSS study, 42% of students fail math, and only 17% reach a high level.

A pedagogy that doesn't measure up

The problem, however, goes beyond a specific company. As professor David Rabadà, a contributor to this outlet, has explained on many occasions, Innovamat isn't the root, but a symptom. The core of the problem lies in an educational model that has dangerously shifted toward the ideological and the experimental. Meanwhile, the results of reports like PISA or TIMSS prove the critics right.

Indeed, Innovamat has become the flagship of a playful, emotional, and "competency-based" pedagogy. This, far from improving learning, has coincided with a collapse in performance, especially in core subjects. This way, while students fail, the company profits.

This entire situation puts on the table a debate that goes beyond educational controversies. On the contrary, many point out - like professor Damià Bardera - that the only way out is to change the model as a whole. Because it's not just an educational and ideological failure, but an institutional one given the enormous number of entities that feed off this failure. Among them, Inmovamat.