Vitoria, April 25 (EFE).- The Education Law project maintains the system of linguistic models, although each school will adapt them to its “sociolinguistic reality”.
The Basque Government Council has approved this Tuesday the draft Education Law that, according to the counselor Jokin Bildarratz, has been drafted with “total fidelity and loyalty” to the educational pact signed a year ago by PNV, EH Bildu, PSE and Elkarrekin Podemos .
The law does not cite the linguistic models (A Spanish, B bilingual and D Basque) in any of its 101 articles but these “do not disappear” from the education system.
What happens, explained the counselor, is that the models do not fall within this standard but are regulated in a 1983 decree that develops the Euskera Law.
“Each family will be able to choose a model. The only requirement is that there be a minimum number to form a group” of a certain model, he has exposed.
The difference is that from now on each center, both public and subsidized, must develop its own “linguistic project” that adapts the models to its “sociolinguistic ecosystem”.
B2 in the official languages and B1 in English
The common goal should be for students to achieve a B1 level in the two official languages at the end of Primary and a B2 at the end of Secondary. They must also reach a B1 in the chosen foreign language (usually English) by the end of Secondary.
It defines the Basque educational system “as a multilingual system whose axis is Euskera” and points out that extracurricular activities must be “aimed at ensuring the environmental use of the Basque language”.
The creation of an “Institute for the Learning of Basque and Languages” is contemplated, which will be in charge of “training” teachers and “promoting the active use of Basque” within the “school environment”, among other functions.
End of fees in subsidized centers
The regulation aims to put an end to the fees in subsidized centers and provides for this to establish “control mechanisms”.
The counselor has warned that schools that do not meet the requirements of the law “cannot be concerted” and therefore will not receive public funds.
It eliminates segregation by sex, establishes mechanisms to avoid the concentration of vulnerable students and sets the objective of “achieving a pact against school segregation”.
It establishes the secularism of the Basque Public Education Service and limits the number of hours to teach religion, while “it will guarantee that there is no indoctrination”.
Image of a school in San Sebastián during the start of the 2021-2022 school year. EFE/Juan Herrero
The project does not have the full support of the PSE
The project does not have the full support of one of its partners, the PSE-EE, which has made its support conditional on correcting various aspects of the text.
Jokin Bildarratz has ensured that the entire government, that is, the advisers of the PNV and the PSE, support the text.
However, after the presentation of the norm, the Basque socialists have warned that it does not respond to all the objectives set by this party.
The PSE has recognized that the project has had the favorable vote of the socialist councilors so as not to “obstruct” its processing or the search for broader consensus.
But he has made it clear that in order for him to have his support “it must resolve certain aspects.”
He has argued that the Euskadi Legal Advisory Commission (Cojua) raises several legal objections to the text that “have not been sufficiently addressed” by the Department of Education.
PSE: From the 3 linguistic models to a “single” one
La Cojua, according to the PSE, although it does not expressly state it, understands that the project changes the system of linguistic models in force for “a single model”, with no more criteria or details than those derived from the center project.
“The PSE does not agree that the current linguistic models, legally protected by a very broad political consensus, can be relegated,” he stresses.
PNV: Collect the educational pact
From the PNV, the parliamentarian Leixuri Arrizabalaga has defended that the project “collects both the content and the spirit” of the educational pact reached a year ago.
He has asked the groups to “put their shoulders together” and propose “possible improvements”.
The opposition groups that signed this pact have not advanced their positions until studying the content.
EH Bildu has indicated that if the norm includes what was agreed, there will be no problem in endorsing it, while Elkarrekin Podemos-IU will analyze the text this afternoon before giving its opinion.
The general secretary of the Basque PP, Laura Garrido, spoke about the project this morning before it was approved, without knowing its content.
He has denounced the decision of the PNV to “eliminate” the current linguistic models to “prioritize Basque and corner Spanish. EFE