The Catalan Supreme Court halts the two month deadline to include Spanish as a school language of instruction

Barcelona (ACN).- The Catalan school system will not have to be modified in two months. The Supreme Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC) has suspended the order it issued last week asking the Catalan Government to include Spanish as a language of instruction in Catalan public schools. The Catalan Government presented an appeal thus obliging the TSJC to automatically put the former order and its deadline on standby until it reaches a decision on the appeal. The TSJC had issued an order asking the Catalan Government to comply with the Spanish Supreme Court’s sentence from last December, in which it ruled that 3 families had the right to school their children in Spanish under the Catalan public school system. The Spanish Supreme Court’s decision would mean that the current model based on linguistic immersion, where Catalan is the only language of instruction and Spanish is taught as a subject, might be substantially modified. All teachers unions, most of the parents associations, education experts, as well as international organisation –such as the European Commission and UNESCO– have backed the current school model because it guarantees that all pupils know both official languages at the end of their studies. In addition, the Catalan Government reminded the Spanish Supreme Court that it has no jurisdiction to modify the laws approved by the Catalan Parliament, which have been validated by the Spanish Constitutional Court in 1994 and in 2010.

The Catalan Government presented an appeal against the decision of the Catalan Supreme Court of Justice last Tuesday, which has acknowledged the sentence of the Spanish Supreme Court on an appeal from 3 families that wanted to school their children in Spanish within the Catalan school system. The Catalan Government’s appeal automatically stops the two-month deadline given by the TSJC to modify the current school model. The Catalan Government’s appeal is based on the Spanish Constitutional Court’s sentences from 1994 and 2010 validating a school model based on linguistic immersion. In addition, it reminds that the model has been in place for 30 years, given generations of students perfect domination over both official languages, Spanish and Catalan. Furthermore, the current model does not segregate students for language reasons and ensures equal opportunities. In addition, the model foresees introductory classes for students who are not familiar with Catalan, in order to help them through their integration within the school model.