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, 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. Nevertheless, the network grew substantially in the following decades, and as of 2020 consists of more than 300 "Escuelas Oficiales" and "Aulas adscritas".