The context of the event ‘Education, in Catalan’
The Flassaders Center in Palma was the setting for the event ‘Teaching, in Catalan’, organized by the Teachers’ Assembly of the Balearic Islands. This meeting, open to the general public, had the aim of reflecting and debating the own education system and defending education in Catalan. The act is part of the 24/25 schooling process, which proposes several measures that have generated controversy and concern in the educational community.
The concerns of the educational community
The Ministry’s plans for schooling in the 24/25 academic year have generated concern and have broken the consensus around the educational model. These measures include the segregation of students, non-compliance with the Minimum Decree, the lack of pedagogical foundations and the impossibility of maintaining the same level of the two official languages, as established by the regulations. This has alarmed the educational community, as it is intended to segregate students based on language choice, both in primary education and in the Pilot Plan for Primary and Secondary.
The interventions of educational and cultural entities
During the event, several interventions were made by representatives of educational and cultural entities, such as Obra Cultura Balear, Association of Primary School Directors, FAPA and College of Teachers. The Educational Network for the Language, which brings together more than 30 organizations in the sector, has also participated. All these entities have reiterated their commitment to the defense of their own educational model, based on teaching in Catalan, as a guarantee of the principles of inclusion, equal opportunities and non-segregation.
The campaign ‘Catalan, a range of opportunities’
The Teachers’ Assembly has launched the ‘Catalan, a range of opportunities’ campaign, which aims to inform families about the advantages of schooling in their own language. As part of this campaign, subtitled videos have been created in 10 languages, where different characters explain their experience of having been schooled in Catalan. At the event, one of these videos was shown and Ismael Isaac and Tania Irene López, two of its protagonists, spoke.
The opinions of the representatives
During the interventions, the representatives of the entities expressed their concerns and defended the current educational model. Miquel Àngel Guerrero, from FAPA, has reminded that the parents’ choice cannot violate the students’ right to learn the language agreed upon in each school’s language project. Joana Maria Mas, from ADIPMA, has highlighted the importance of maintaining the current language model, based on the experience of recent years. Antoni Llabrés, from the OCB, has criticized the Pilot Plan for Primary and Secondary Schools and has announced that he will file an administrative appeal. Catalina Bibiloni, from the Educational Network for the Language, has denounced the breakdown of the educational consensus and Antoni Salvà, on behalf of the College of Teachers, has asked for the withdrawal of the language plan.
The call for mass participation
To end the event, Marina Vergés, as spokesperson for the Assembly, has called for massive participation in the Language Day, which will be held on May 5. This day, organized by the OCB and Joves de Mallorca per la Llengua, aims to claim the importance of the Catalan language.