Maestros y jornaleros. La escuela pública en Extremadura a finales del siglo XVIII

The present study examines the social and economic situation of the state schools and teachers in Extremadura in the late 18th century, in the historical context of the Enlightenment. To this end, we compare the economic status of teachers and schools with the poorest sectors of society: the day labourers. For this study, we have reviewed all the answers to questions about the status of education and teachers in the villages, as well as those related to other workers, included in the "Questionings of the Royal High Court in Extremadura". Firstly, we will introduce an extract of the information contained therein, which shows the configuration of the population in Extremadura, the extension of public schooling, attention to boys and girls or the economic situation of schools and teachers, compared with other sectors of the population. The results show a high social value on the part of the enlightened classes, yet a high demand from all social strata, although the reality of the moment, like many years later, was that of a little financial aid to education, reflected in lower economic recognition of teachers.