The VOX Parliamentary Group in Congress has organized for February 21, coinciding with International Mother Language Day, a day of debate on the “discrimination of Spanish and the violation of linguistic rights” in Spain. The event, which will begin at 10:00 a.m., will be attended by experts, representatives of civil society and members of Congress, who will analyze the situation of Spanish speakers in bilingual communities.
VOX deputy Jorge Campos will open the session and will present a National Bill for the Defense of Freedom in the Use of the Spanish Language. With this measure, the formation led by Santiago Abascal seeks to reinforce its position on the right to education in Castilian and the elimination of the autonomic linguistic requirements in the access to the civil service.
“Linguistic apartheid”: VOX’s position on the situation of the Spanish language
VOX has repeatedly denounced what it describes as a “separatist linguistic apartheid” in some autonomous communities, where, according to the party, families are prevented from choosing the language of schooling and barriers are established for access to public jobs for language reasons.
“Spain has become a unique case in the world, where the official and common language of all Spaniards is persecuted in its own country,” said Jorge Campos, pointing to the separatist parties and accusing both the PP and the PSOE of complicity in the current language policy.
Spanish in education: a recurring debate
The parliamentary conference promoted by VOX is part of the debate on teaching in Spanish in bilingual communities, an issue that has generated judicial and political controversy. In recent years, various associations have taken to court the lack of options to study in Spanish in autonomous regions such as Catalonia, the Balearic Islands or the Valencian Community.
In Ibiza and the rest of the Balearic Islands, political pressure for the use of Catalan in education has been a central issue on the agenda of VOX and other sectors opposed to language immersion. The Balearic Government, however, has defended the current educational policy, assuring that the balanced learning of both official languages is guaranteed.
A political offensive in Congress
VOX’s proposal to guarantee education in Spanish throughout Spain is part of its political strategy to strengthen its position in defense of national unity. With this initiative, the party seeks to differentiate itself from other formations and to pressure the Government to take measures in the field of education.
It remains to be seen the parliamentary route that this initiative will take, in a context in which the state-level parties have had different positions on the linguistic issue. Meanwhile, VOX maintains its discourse of frontal opposition to immersion in Catalan and other co-official languages, aligning itself with groups that defend a greater presence of Spanish in education.
Experiences in Ibiza: Free Choice of Language Pilot Plan
In the Balearic Islands, and specifically in Ibiza, initiatives related to the choice of the vehicular language in education have been implemented. One example is the Pilot Plan for Free Choice of Language, which allows primary school students to choose between Spanish and Catalan as the vehicular language of their education. In Ibiza, three subsidized schools participate in this plan: Nuestra Señora de la Consolación school, Can Bonet school in Sant Antoni and Mare de Déu de les Neus school in Sant Jordi.
The Can Bonet school has reported positive results following the implementation of the plan. According to its director, Josep Lluís Mollà, “after one trimester, students have improved their understanding and achievement of objectives in the area. In other words, they have improved their grades”. Mollà links this improvement to the possibility of students opting for the language they are most familiar with, thus facilitating the assimilation of knowledge.
