Following the restoration of democracy in 1978, the direction of the individual "EOIs" was transferred to the various departments of education of their respective autonomous communities,[10] which expanded and developed the service according to their different regional needs and policies, with only a loose national framework in place. It has been argued that inconsistent standards caused by this arrangement have led to EOI certificates becoming less competitive next to private and international institutes.[11] Nevertheless, the network grew substantially in the following decades, and as of 2020 consists of more than 300 Escuelas Oficiales and Aulas adscritas.[12]