Ministry of Education (Spain)

The Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports (MEFPD) is the department of the Government of Spain responsible for designing and implementing the government policy on education and vocational training. This covers all levels of the education system—except university education—, including physical education, through the National Sports Council. Likewise, it is also responsible for promoting, in coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, international relations in the field of non-university education.

Education in Spain is established as a decentralized system in which the regions have powers over the basic and secondary education—except Ceuta and Melilla—while the central government establishes the general basis of the system and it is responsible for the tertiary education. As of 2026, the government department responsible for universities is the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities. To coordinate the system, it exists the Sectoral Conference on Education that is chaired by the Education Minister and integrated by the regional ministers of education.

This is the last ministry created in the 19th century, being a split from the Ministry of Development. It was founded in March 1900 as Ministry of Public Instruction and Fine Arts and, since then, it has always had educational, cultural, sports and scientific powers, with the exception of those periods —such as the current one—in which the Ministry of Culture or the Ministry of Science has existed.

Its main headquarters have been located, since 1928, at number 34 Alcalá street, in Madrid, having previously been housed in the Palacio de Fomento between 1900 and 1928. The adjacent building, number 36, has also housed Ministry's services since 1931.

Since December 2025, the minister has been Milagros Tolón, from the Spanish Socialist Workers Party.