A **Philosophy** teacher for **1st and 2nd year of Bachillerato** at a Catalan public school has been disciplined for teaching his classes in **Spanish**. According to a document accessed by **El Mundo**, the principal even entered the classroom to verify this.
The disciplinary action taken against a teacher of Philosophy for 1st and 2nd year of Bachillerato highlights what, according to the report accessed by El Mundo, is not an isolated case. The management of a public centre under the Department of Education initiated the procedure against this teacher, who received a disciplinary notice in January for using Spanish as the language of instruction.
The document states that the teacher was delivering the subject in Spanish and that all the material provided to the students was also in that language. Among the evidence included in the report is the presence of the principal during part of a class, with the aim of "confirming that he teaches the class in Spanish."
When asked by this newspaper, the Department of Education of the Generalitat confirmed the opening of the disciplinary case and justified the measure with the complaints received. According to their sources, there had been "many complaints from families" because the subject should be taught in Catalan.
"This affected students who took notes in Spanish and then had to take the Selectividad in Catalan"
The Department reminds, however, that any student in Catalonia can take university entrance exams in Spanish. They add that the curriculum of each centre must respect Catalan as the vehicular language in all subjects, except for the subject of Spanish Language.
The affected teacher, who has requested not to reveal his name, recounts that he was warned that if he did not change, they could open a disciplinary case against him. He describes the past academic year as "a torment that you cannot get used to." He insists that he has no issues with the students and that he works in accordance with the law and the rulings that support the use of Spanish in classrooms.
Advised by the Assembly for a Bilingual School (AEB), this teacher has filed an appeal for his case not to be marked by a sanction that he considers unjustified. He is now a temporary teacher at another school and says that in every centre he goes to, he experiences the same situation.
The case of a second teacher, who wishes to appear under the fictitious name of Marcos, follows a similar pattern. The minutes of a meeting with the management of his centre note that he was reminded that "in Catalonia, the language policy is different" and that the language at the centre is Catalan. According to his account, he was called to the office five or six times.
"There was a scrutiny and control that escaped all justification"
Marcos recounts that he even erased the board so that it would not be seen that he was writing in Spanish. This year, with a permanent position, he says he presented the management with rulings regarding Spanish in schools and that, since then, they have left him alone.
Two other teachers, Javier, a temporary teacher, and Marta, a secondary school teacher, describe verbal warnings and pressure in the office to speak in Catalan. Marta describes it as "an intrusion into academic freedom," while Javier acknowledges that, for now, he has only received verbal reprimands.
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