PODCAST: Catalan in schools – reasons behind language immersion and why it's in jeopardy

 

Catalonia has had an educational policy of linguistic immersion for over 30 years. In other words, teaching in schools is done through Catalan, but that could change. Press play below to listen or subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts or Spotify.

  

Gerard Escaich Folch and Guifré Jordan join Lorcan Doherty to explain how the language immersion system works in Catalan schools, the rationale behind it, and why a recent court ruling could put it in jeopardy.

We get the opinions of Ana Losada, spokesperson for School for Everyone and Head of the Assembly for Bilingual Schooling; Albert Bayot Fuertes, the Girona representative of the Catalan Graduate Teachers Association; and Anna Rosés, a Catalan teacher at Escola Pia Sarrià-Calassanç in Barcelona.

This week's Catalan phrase is 'fer escola'. Literally 'to do or make school', it means to have disciples, followers or imitators. 

Get in touch with the podcast team: fillingthesink@acn.cat. 

Listen to more episodes of Filling the Sink below or find out more here.