The current Partido Popular government in Spain likes to yack about the 1978 constitution, but they have had no trouble so far breaking the agreements that have been in place since the transition to democracy.
First of all, they have made a fully conscious and political decision to undo decentralization efforts represented by the autonomic system. Maybe the best definition of this, almost Freudian in scope, was given by minister of culture, José Ignacio Wert: españolizar (Spanish-ize). The Spanish proposal for educational ‘reform’ is the best example of the political positioning of the nationalist Partido Popular about Catalonia.
Furthermore, their interpretation of the Catalan electoral results gives them more arguments. While we Catalans seem to be focusing on remaining a part of Spain, we also seem to be taking the focus away from the 5 million unemployed in Spain, the situation of the banks, the European bailout, or the privatization of public health. Electorally this has been good in the short term, at least for them, and for some of the citizens.
The Spanish educational proposal by Mr. Wert affects the Catalan educational model by interfering with Catalonia's competencies according to the Statute of Autonomy and the 2009 Law of Education. It imposes a linguistic model, burying a successful one both pedagogically and socially, and deals with content and religion. It’s a definite move back to the seventies and the law of native languages. By the way, let's not even mention anything language related or how the Spanish language is not persecuted in Catalonia. Both the debate and the solution are political, but it might be that pro-Catalan parties in parliament (107 representatives: CiU, ERC, PSC, IC, and CUP), who together are a majority, are strong enough to defend our own educational, social, and cultural model.
We can’t succumb to the tactics that favor and feed them. It’s important that all sovereignists, independentists, confederalists, and federalists work together to prevent Catalonia from going back to the seventies. Even in the proposal by the PSC (the socialist party) defending a federal state, they propose that educational system and the cultural and linguistic politics be an exclusive competence.
At the same time, we need to show the reasons for pedagogical and social success in favor of the desegregation of students (and their families) independently of the language they speak at home. The Basque society decided for three different kinds of school: Basque immersion, Spanish immersion, and mixed immersion. Catalan society, on the contrary, decided for only one. The actions by Socialist Party of Catalonia, under Joan Reventós and Marta Mata's direction, was crucial. Historically speaking, this was one of the most important decisions taken to unite the people, both socially and nationally.
About the author of this article for Help Catalonia
Furthermore, their interpretation of the Catalan electoral results gives them more arguments. While we Catalans seem to be focusing on remaining a part of Spain, we also seem to be taking the focus away from the 5 million unemployed in Spain, the situation of the banks, the European bailout, or the privatization of public health. Electorally this has been good in the short term, at least for them, and for some of the citizens.
The Spanish educational proposal by Mr. Wert affects the Catalan educational model by interfering with Catalonia's competencies according to the Statute of Autonomy and the 2009 Law of Education. It imposes a linguistic model, burying a successful one both pedagogically and socially, and deals with content and religion. It’s a definite move back to the seventies and the law of native languages. By the way, let's not even mention anything language related or how the Spanish language is not persecuted in Catalonia. Both the debate and the solution are political, but it might be that pro-Catalan parties in parliament (107 representatives: CiU, ERC, PSC, IC, and CUP), who together are a majority, are strong enough to defend our own educational, social, and cultural model.
We can’t succumb to the tactics that favor and feed them. It’s important that all sovereignists, independentists, confederalists, and federalists work together to prevent Catalonia from going back to the seventies. Even in the proposal by the PSC (the socialist party) defending a federal state, they propose that educational system and the cultural and linguistic politics be an exclusive competence.
At the same time, we need to show the reasons for pedagogical and social success in favor of the desegregation of students (and their families) independently of the language they speak at home. The Basque society decided for three different kinds of school: Basque immersion, Spanish immersion, and mixed immersion. Catalan society, on the contrary, decided for only one. The actions by Socialist Party of Catalonia, under Joan Reventós and Marta Mata's direction, was crucial. Historically speaking, this was one of the most important decisions taken to unite the people, both socially and nationally.
About the author of this article for Help Catalonia
Former Catalan Minister of Health (2003-2010)
Other articles by this author:
In Defense of an Open-Hearted Nationalism
Other articles by this author:
In Defense of an Open-Hearted Nationalism
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