The Basque Parliament approved this Thursday the new Basque Education Law, with the only support of PNV and PSE, and thus concludes a long path that almost reached a consensus of 90% of the chamber and which finally remained at 54.6 % of parliamentary representation. The two parties that support the Basque Government have pushed forward the most important norm of the Legislature amidst harsh reproaches from the opposition, which has spoken of a broken opportunity.
The work prior to the development of the standard and the subsequent process were born with the objective of adapting the current Law, in force since 1993, and the Basque educational system to current challenges.
Although the standard addresses multiple issues, the main ones are three: the coexistence of public and concerted networks; the fight against segregation; and, thirdly, the reform of the three current linguistic models.
In relation to the first two issues, closely related, the fundamental aim was to end the gap that exists between some charter schools and a high percentage of public schools, especially with regard to school segregation and concentration of students at risk of exclusion. .
The idea behind the agreement and, theoretically, the solution to current problems is, basically, that the centers would be equal in rights and obligations. All would become 100% funded, so that none could charge fees, but at the same time all would have to show the same commitment to the fight against segregation and, for example, would have the same percentage of vulnerable students. That is to say, generalized concertation would end and all centers would become the Basque Education System.
As for the issue of linguistic models, the current models A (in Spanish and with Basque as a subject; occasionally with English subjects), B ( Basque-Spanish bilingual, in some cases with English subjects) and D ( Basque as a vehicular language with Spanish as a subject and, on occasion, subjects in English) would be replaced by linguistic projects. Each center would have autonomy to design its language project, but all should achieve the same language objectives when completing the ESO: at least a B2 level in the two co-official languages and B1 in English.
90% of the representation in the Basque Parliament - PNV, EH Bildu, PSE and Podemos - agreed with these general principles; However, throughout the process prior to the approval of the law, consensus has waned.
This Thursday, the Basque Government and opposition have shown their disagreements and have disagreed about whether the previous bases that were agreed upon in March 2022 are being respected in accordance with the norm. EH Bildu and Podemos, which came out of that agreement, fundamentally question that the norm introduced, in the final stretch of the negotiation, a reference to the maintenance of linguistic models, and they also criticize that it does not introduce more far-reaching measures against segregation. .
On behalf of the PNV, parliamentarian Gorka Álvarez has pointed out that it is “a law that puts the inclusion and equity of the system at the center”, and has defended that it represents a boost for the Basque Education System, under whose umbrella public schools are included. , concerted religious events and ikastolas of a community nature.
In the opinion of EH Bildu, meanwhile, it is “a missed opportunity.” “PNV and PSE make the same mistake as 30 years ago by excluding EH Bildu and the educational community from this Law. This is a failure. We had 32 amendments that would have strengthened this law. Almost none of you have accepted us, only 6 and 3 of them were technical. This norm opens the door to universal concertation, financing the entire concerted party without limits and without effective legal mechanisms to control it. Furthermore, the right of families to choose the language prevails in relation to the linguistic objectives set,” said parliamentarian Ikoitz Arrese.
On behalf of Podemos, Miren Gorrotxategi has pointed out that we cannot “deny equal opportunities to broad sectors of society, we cannot condition their success based on their origin or their postal code.” "This Law is a sabotage of cohesion and social lift," he indicated.
On behalf of the PSE, the other party that supports the norm, María Jesús San José has indicated that her party has achieved the approval of “an Education Law and not a norm for national construction.” “EH Bildu wanted to move towards a monolingual model,” she criticized.
Finally, on behalf of the PP, Carmelo Barrio has indicated that “Bildu has managed to tilt the bill towards its interests.” “There is a risk of Catalan-style sectarianism and no one knows what will happen to the linguistic models. The priorities of this Law are identity values, teacher control, and Basque language, but not the freedom of choice of families, nor academic success," he noted.
The positions of both parties are, therefore, opposite regarding the results that the agreement between PNV and PSE will offer. It remains to be seen to what extent the new norm manages to reduce the high school segregation that exists in Euskadi. Furthermore, it will be necessary to see how the Basque Government channels the reference to the linguistic models included in the regulation with the concept of linguistic projects and, above all, with the objectives set by the new law.
