The first law of PP and Vox: teaching in Spanish in certain areas and “balance” in the rest with Valencian

The Valencian Community It is the first territory that tests the entente of PP and Vox in a sensitive subject such as education, and even more so in a bilingual region. This Thursday, both government partners presented their bill that regulates “educational freedom”, an issue that both parties championed in the opposition and which now represents the first joint legislative initiative. The norm is an amendment to the multilingualism model of the previous left-wing government.

Just like they did PSOE, Commitments and United We Canalso PP and Vox present a norm that does not emanate from the Consell, where they are the popular those who direct Education. The bill represents, in practice, the shielding of teaching in Spanish in Spanish-speaking areas, where the mandatory minimum of 25% of teaching time in Valencian that was established by the previous government and that raised a good part of the population in arms is definitively eliminated. of the educational community.

This means that the obligation of a minimum of 25% of Valencian will only be applicable in the Valencian-speaking regions included in the Law of Use and Teaching of Valencian of 1983. In these regions, however, total immersion in Valencian will not be allowed, since the obligation of a minimum of 25% of Spanish that already regulated the Multilingualism Law of 2018 will govern.

Now, if the left’s regulations set the objective of reaching 60% of Valencian, PP and Vox introduce for the first time the “balanced” presence of the two co-official languages ​​from the third year of Primary (again, the exception is Spanish-speaking areas). With an important novelty, because the “maximum difference” between Valencian and Castilian will be 20% of the time between them.

This means, in practice, that from third grade onwards “approximately 50% of the teaching time will be taught in the base language, and the rest of the time will be divided between the other co-official language and English”, according to the sources consulted. PP and Vox here take advantage of the rulings of the Superior Court of Justice of the Valencian Community that questioned the “great imbalance” that the previous Consell allowed between the two official languages.

As for English, the mandatory minimum will be 10% in Early Childhood, while in Primary and ESO it may range between 15 and 25%. In any case, experimental programs that exceed 25% of the teaching time in English will be admitted.

The experimental programs that the PP and Vox bill puts an end to are those that have until now allowed immersion in Valencian in Early Childhood (with 10% English), and which 221 schools had implemented. They will expire in the 2024-2025 academic year.

Therefore, in Spanish-speaking areas, “it is guaranteed that all students will take the subject of Valencian”, but it will no longer be mandatory to teach other non-linguistic subjects in the co-official language. In addition, students may request exemption from the Valencian subject.

As for the Valencian-speaking areas, “the base language will always have greater weight than the other co-official language.” In Infant and early Primary years, the other co-official language will be taught for at least 25% of the teaching time, whether Valencian or Spanish. It will be in later courses when “there will be a greater balance between the two co-official languages.”

Despite this, PP and Vox maintain that with this regulatory change, families will have the ability to choose this base language or main vehicular language, since a consultation will be organized between all of them. Depending on the results, “it will be determined how many groups are offered in each base language, ultimately making the majority criterion prevail.”

When families access a new Early Childhood Education center, the choice will be made within the framework of the admission process. For families with children already enrolled in a center, participation will be carried out through a telematic consultation.

Another novelty has to do with the language in which the exams are taken. Entities like We speak Spanish They had asked for freedom of choice, and in non-linguistic subjects, students will be able to decide whether to take the exams and evaluation tests in Valencian or Spanish. Along these lines, the “bilingual format” will also be mandatory for all communications between the center and families.

The law will be applied in its entirety in a matter of two years, since all its articles must already be in force in the 2025-2026 academic year. This will be when automatic certifications of the Valencian level can also be requested.

The following levels of Valencian will be recognized according to the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) for Languages: A2, when passing the Valencian area in the six years of Primary Education; B1, by passing the Valencian subject in the four ESO courses, or in three ESO courses and in the first year of Baccalaureate; B2, by passing the Valencian subject in both Baccalaureate courses; and C1, by passing the Valencian subject in both Baccalaureate courses with an average of the subject equal to or greater than 7, or by obtaining a grade equal to or greater than 7 in the Valencian test for university access.

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