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ARCHIVED - Controversial education law criticized for undermining the Spanish language in regions with their own language
The Ley Celáa, the eighth such law in 40 years divides opinion in many sectors of Spanish society
A new law governing the Spanish education system was narrowly passed in parliament on Thursday after a heated debate, with opinions so clearly divided that it is considered likely that it will be replaced as soon as there is a change in government.
The new law, the eighth of its kind in Spain since the restoration of democracy in the late 1970s, is widely referred to as the “Ley Celáa” after the current Minister of Education, Isabel Celáa, and replaces the equally controversial “Ley Wert” which was brought in seven years ago. Among the aspects which have met with most opposition is the decision to eliminate the description of Castilian Spanish as the “vehicular language” or “working language” of schools and education in the regions of the country where there is more than one official language.
This is the case, for example, in Galicia, the Basque Country, the Balearics, the Comunidad Valenciana and Catalunya, and many fear that the modification represents a concession to separatists which could lead to children in some areas failing to achieve communicative competence in the language which most of the rest of the world refers to simply as “Spanish”.
Sra Celáa, though, is adamant that the loss of “vehicular language” status does not imply a lessening of the commitment to education taking place in Spanish, pointing out that the term was only introduced in the 2013 education law. Prior to that, she says, there was no controversy over the issue, and she insists that there should be none now and that the role of Castilian Spanish in education is not being changed.
Neither has the debate been limited to politicians and educators: Nobel Literature Prize winner Mario Vargas Llosa this week described the removal of the word “vehicular” as “idiotic”.
There are also other controversial elements within the new education law, and government speakers during the debate on Thursday attempted to provide reassurance that the legislation does not threaten private and fee-paying schools with closure, does not mean the disappearance of centres for those with special educational needs and does not prevent parents from choosing which school their children attend. These are some of the criticisms levelled at the Ley Celáa, along with the perception that the law will lower the standards of education, a complaint which almost inevitably arises every time adjustments are made to the system.
Meanwhile, a petition demanding that the law be abandoned has been signed by 1.5 million people.
Some of the innovations contained in the new law, which is now set to come into force in the 2021-22 academic year, are the following:
· Students’ progress will be evaluated every two years in primary education, rather than every year.
· Students may repeat years only twice while completing primary and compulsory secondary education.
· Students may move up to the next year despite failing in numerous subjects if the teachers deem it appropriate.
· Land will not be provided for the construction of new private schools outside the State education system.
· The criteria on which pupils are assigned to a school are modified.
· Students with special needs (disabilities, economic vulnerability and non-Spaniards) are to be distributed among different schools.
· The segregation of male and female students in private schools is to be banned.
· The marks obtained by students in Religion will not contribute to their overall score, but no alternative subject is to be offered.
· A new subject called “Education in Civic and Ethical Values” is created.
· History of Philosophy is made obligatory in the second year of Non-Compulsory Secondary Education.
Many of these changes may seem trivial, but education is a topic which affects all of us in different ways at different times in our lives and which is guaranteed to cause debate. The Ley Celáa illustrates this perfectly, the only consensus seeming to be that it has highlighted areas of deep-rooted disagreement, and having been passed in Congress after receiving 177 votes in favour – just one more than the figure required for an absolute majority – it seems that its days are likely to be numbered.