Deadline to apply 25% Spanish quota in schools has expired - what happens next?

The Catalan government had until March 25 to enforce a Spanish Supreme Court ruling that would see 25% of classes in Catalan schools taught in the Spanish language. 

Catalonia’s High Court set a two-month period for the executive to comply with the ruling. This means that Monday has been the first school day where education centers should not only be using Catalan as the working language. 

However, according to the unionist political party Ciudadanos, nothing has changed, prompting them to complain to the prosecutor’s office of the government’s "non-compliance" with the ruling.

The party has also filed a complaint against the Catalan education minister, Josep Gonzàlez-Cambray, and four other education department officials.

Similarly, a Spanish Guardia Civil police association (JUCIL) has requested a €450 compensation per quarter for each police officer affected in terms of "moral damages" as the Catalan government is not enforcing the ruling. 

"The deadline has expired and it is quite notorious and evident that the Catalan administration has not complied with nor will it comply with the ruling," Catalonia’s JUCIL secretary-general, Milagros Cívico, said. 

The Escuela de Todos association of entities created after the Supreme Court decision, which called for the government to enforce the ruling in classrooms across Catalonia, has announced that they will be presenting a group complaint against the Catalan executive’s non-compliance soon. 

Political deal

A majority of parties in the Catalan parliament – the ruling pro-independence parties, Esquerra and Junts, as well as the Socialists and En Comú Podem – reached an agreement to protect the Catalan language immersion system in schools on March 24, a day before the deadline to implement the 25% Spanish quota. 

They presented the bill in Parliament, which, if approved, will see Catalan considered "the language of Catalonia." It describes Catalan as the main language of instruction in schools but says Spanish is used in accordance with the terms set by each school's language objectives.

However, later on that same evening, Junts U-turned on their position after controversy following the announcement of the deal. The political group backtracked and claimed they wanted an "overall consensus" to be reached among parties. 

Right now, the deal is going through standard parliamentary procedures before it can be voted on in the Catalan chamber. 

On Monday, and in response to Junts’ changing their stance, ERC spokesperson Marta Vilalta urged people not to believe "lies" about the agreement. 

"We will not accept any lies regarding our acts to defend the Catalan language," Vilalta said in a press conference.  

Some pro-independence entities have considered that the deal could put an end to the Catalan immersion system. 

Government decree

"Language learning is not about quotas, but about teaching," González-Cambray reaffirmed on March 22. 

In addition to the amendment of a bill, the government also aims to persuade the court that it is implementing its ruling by issuing a language policy decree for schools after gauging Catalan residents' opinions through an open participatory process.

The decision comes after Cambray stated that schools need not heed the Supreme Court decision.

The government's official response to the deadline to implement more hours of the Spanish language in schools was the announcement of this decree as well as the political deal between several forces. 

Regarding the decree, Cambray did not make any specific initial proposal as to its contents but said that it will be built on the basis of the contributions received.

The consultation will be aimed at municipal entities and the general public, as well as any other interested bodies.

Cambray stated that its objectives are to "strengthen" the linguistic model in schools and to provide more legal certainty.

A day later, up to 7,500 teachers and students demonstrated in Barcelona against the Spanish court ruling. 

And on March 26, a few hundred people gathered in the Catalan capital to protest the deal reached between the political forces earlier in the week. 

The government has already justified its two proposals to the High Court as an example of its compliance with the judicial decision. 

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