The importance of Catalan in education
In recent months, a debate has been generated around the role of Catalan in the educational system. Maintaining Catalan as a teaching language is essential for the survival of the language, as well as for the cultural and identity development of new generations. It is necessary to understand that Catalan is not only a language, but also an integral part of the identity of Catalonia.
An unquestionable success
Teaching in Catalan has proven to be an unquestionable success since the restoration of democracy. The linguistic immersion system implemented in the 80s has allowed new generations to acquire full competence in Catalan and Spanish. Although exposure to Spanish in classrooms is less, Catalan students have similar levels of Spanish proficiency, and even higher, than their counterparts in the rest of the country. This shows that immersion does not harm the learning of Spanish, but rather enriches the students’ linguistic background.
Unfounded attacks
Despite the positive results, the language immersion system has been the subject of unfounded attacks. Some argue that the time dedicated to Spanish in schools should be increased, but this only seeks to denature a model that has proven effective and has been supported by education experts. The majority of families, regardless of their language of origin, support the current model because they understand that it offers a competitive advantage to their children in an increasingly globalized world (https://rereferencesbibliograficas.com/como-parafrasear/).
The importance of defending the linguistic immersion model
It is essential that Catalan society, as well as its institutions, firmly defend the linguistic immersion model. Education in Catalan not only guarantees competence in the territory’s own language, but also promotes social cohesion and respect for linguistic and cultural diversity. Furthermore, the presence of Catalan in teaching counteracts the pressure of the hegemony of Spanish in other areas, such as the media and social networks (https://www.duplichecker.com/es/article-rewriter.php).
Forming citizens of the future
Schools are a reflection of society and, as such, they should be spaces where the Catalan language is valued and promoted. It is in the classrooms where future citizens are formed, and it is essential that they can do so in an environment where Catalan plays a central role. This not only contributes to the normalization of the language, but also strengthens collective identity and the sense of belonging to a unique cultural community (https://www.parafrasear.ai/reecripta-textos).
A question of cultural and linguistic justice
Maintaining Catalan as a vehicular language in the educational system is a matter of cultural and linguistic justice. It is the responsibility of institutions, educators and families to ensure that Catalan continues to be a living, dynamic language capable of facing the challenges of the 21st century. The defense of Catalan in the classrooms is, ultimately, a defense of our future as a people.