The historic consensus that emerged around the bases of the new Basque Education Law, which reached 91% of parliamentary representation, threatens to be reduced to an agreement supported by 55% of this representation. First, Podemos abandoned the agreement considering that it did not decisively prioritize Public Education, and now, EH Bildu threatens to leave this consensus by disagreeing with PNV and PSE regarding the weight that Basque should have in Basque Education. The legislature is coming to an end and the debate is acrimonious right at that point, where the positions seem irreconcilable.
To understand the keys to the debate around the balance of languages in Basque Education, we must know that Euskadi decided, more than three decades ago, to channel the sociolinguistic diversity that exists in the territory - with great differences in terms of knowledge and use of the language. Basque between regions - through a system of linguistic models. These models have been in operation since the 1980s and are mentioned in the Basque Law of 1982, although they were consolidated in the Basque Education Law of 1993, which is still in force.
Model A has Spanish as the vehicular language and offers Basque as a subject. In model B, the different subjects are taught in both Basque and Spanish. Finally, model D has Basque as the vehicular language and Spanish is taught as a subject. Many centers, however, teach some subjects in English, both in model D and in models A and B. In fact, Euskadi is at the forefront in knowledge of English among the different communities, according to the EF SET carried out annually.
Models A and B, the most in demand by families during the 80s, are now in the minority; Model D, on the other hand, has become the majority. Today it has a quota of over 90% in Early Childhood Education and around 70% in Baccalaureate.
The linguistic issue appeared as one of the Gordian knots of the debate once the parties decided to update the Education Law. However, PNV (31 seats out of 75), EH Bildu (21), PSE (10) and Podemos (6) were able to reach a consensus on this point - and also on the rest of the more complex aspects, such as the coexistence of public and concerted networks. They staged it in March 2022. Only PP and the Vox deputy were left out of the agreement.
Basically, in the case of the linguistic issue, a broad framework was supported in which educational centers would have autonomy to design their linguistic projects, although always with the obligation to meet a series of objectives.
That is, the centers could decide how many subjects they would teach in each language, although they would have to guarantee that students have a B2 level of the two co-official languages, Basque and Spanish, at the end of Compulsory Education, as well as, at least, a B1 level of English.
Likewise, it was stated that "Basque education is structured as a multilingual system whose axis is Basque", to which it added that "it is articulated through two official languages and, at least, one foreign language."
Well, this consensus has been blown up in the last month and it is not at all clear that PNV, EH Bildu and PSE will be able to recover it in the coming weeks.
The key is, in this case, that PNV and PSE agreed on October 3, at the request of the socialists, an amendment that included an express mention of linguistic models. In this way, the new law would not seek to overcome the models to start talking about the linguistic projects of each center and the linguistic objectives, but would instead aim to maintain the model scheme, although setting objectives.
The socialists are in favor of shielding the current system of models and, as they assured, they have made “a lot of effort to maintain them.” Organizations linked to the educational field, however, see this as a contradiction with the aspiration of focusing the debate on linguistic objectives. According to them, with the current model A and, in part, with model B, it would be difficult to achieve the agreed linguistic objectives. Likewise, educational entities and unions point out that maintaining these models would deepen school segregation.
EH Bildu, which initially defended a single model of immersion in Basque similar to Catalan, considers that the models “have been surpassed” and proposes linguistic projects linked to each center and that take into account an index of linguistic complexity, in order to adjust to the sociolinguistic reality of each center. These projects would be aimed at meeting the linguistic objectives set by law.
The PNV, finally, seeks to make the PSE's requirement to collect linguistic models compatible with the design of linguistic projects linked to each center and the achievement of linguistic objectives. The Jeltzales had been defending throughout the process that accompanied this law the need to definitively overcome the models and focus on linguistic projects and objectives.
The demand of the PSE, its partner in the main Basque institutions, compromises the PNV, which sees a single way to make the maintenance of linguistic models compatible, even in a formal manner, and the achievement of the set objectives. It would involve agreeing on a modification of the linguistic models, which would allow them to be maintained, although in different parameters, and would make them compatible with the agreed objectives.
“What we must do is develop and update current models, because we want to empower educational centers. The models are not an objective but an instrument,” said Jeltzale Jokin Bildarratz, Minister of Education.
The PNV and the PSE have a sufficient majority to approve the new Education Law, although the Jeltzales maintain the aspiration of adding EH Bildu, which had been dedicated throughout the entire process and which, in fact, was the first party with which They negotiated. The positions of the socialists and the nationalist coalition, however, are difficult to reconcile.
The nationalist coalition has even accused the PSE of defending the same position as Vox in the Balearic Islands: “The PSE should be more like the Socialist Party of the Balearic Islands than Vox.” The socialists, meanwhile, have already expressed a decided position in favor of maintaining linguistic models.
EH Bildu announced an ultimatum this Thursday and denounced that PNV and PSE are rejecting its amendments without debate. If this situation does not change, they have indicated, on the 24th they will leave the consensus staged in March 2022.
