Accompanied by all the students of the school from Primary 3 upwards, staff, and families, we celebrated a farewell ceremony with a minute of silence and speeches from the Headteacher Jonathan Day, Herminia Martí, in charge of the Socrates Educa educational model, a Governor Mr Lluís Coll, and the Director General of the Foundation Jaume Vilella, in memory of Dr. Ferraté, who passed away on February 11th at the age of 91.
He was the founding Governor and Honorary President of the Socrates Educa International Foundation. He conceived the basis of our educational project, Socrates Educa, which guided the construction and development of Socrates Educa International School.
Dr. Ferraté was a wise man, tireless worker, transformer, and with an infinite capacity to create new things where no one had ever imagined. His life is full of revolutionary, innovative projects, and authentic leaps towards the future!
The Socrates Educa Project is his last great contribution to the world of education, to which he dedicated effort, commitment, talent, and generous support from its origins until today.
We have been fortunate to have him among us, perhaps never fully aware of the stature of the person. For his simplicity, for his kindness, and above all, for his generosity.
But it is fair, necessary, and important that we are clear that without his intervention, today we would not be who we are or have reached where we are now.
Ferraté was an industrial engineer and agricultural expert who focused his professional and academic activity on research in computer science, automation, and robotics. He conceived and created the UOC in 1994 at the request of the Government, then presided over by Jordi Pujol. Ferraté accepted the challenge on the condition that he was trusted and allowed to create a different university. Similarly, he did so when the president of the Civic Forum of El Camp, Josep Maria Bach, offered him to participate in a pre-university teaching project, which he accepted to lead until conceiving what we know today as Socrates Educa. A different school, from the 21st century to the 22nd.
Ferraté was also Director General of Universities and Research for a couple of years (1976-1978) and later Director General of Scientific Policy at the then Ministry of Education. He was also a member of the executive committee of the International Federation of Automatic Control (IFAC), Director of the Cybernetics Institute, and Vice President of the Interdepartmental Council for Research and Technological Innovation (CIRIT), as well as President of the Cerdà Institute and member of the Institute of Catalan and Balearic Medical Sciences, the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Barcelona, and the Reading Center of Reus.
He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate by the Polytechnic University of Madrid and the University of Lleida. In 1996, he received the Cross of St. George, and in 2017, the UOC awarded him the Medal of Honor, the highest distinction of the university. He was also president of Caixa Tarragona from 1995 to 2010.
Finally, he was the founding trustee of the International Escola Internacional del Camp Foundation, of which he was the second President and currently its Honorary President since the 22/23 academic year.
Perhaps his greatest legacy will be the large number of young people for whom the future will be better and more promising thanks to his vision and generous dedication. Young people who will lead us towards a modern and just society as he envisioned.
At the same time, for all of us, he must continue to be a source of inspiration to move forward with his work and vision.
May you Rest in Peace.
