A Philosophy Teacher in Catalonia Faces Disciplinary Action for Teaching in Spanish

A public school in Catalonia has opened a disciplinary case against a Philosophy teacher for conducting classes in Spanish, and the Platform of Teachers for the Freedom of Language Choice has reported it.

According to eldebate.com, a Philosophy teacher for 1st and 2nd of Bachillerato at a public school in Catalonia is undergoing a disciplinary procedure for teaching his classes in Spanish. The case dates back to January, although it has come to light now through the Platform of Teachers for the Freedom of Language Choice.

Its spokesperson, Emilio Álvarez, speaks of an exile of Spanish in Catalan classrooms and denounces the submission to a single thought. According to the account gathered, the school's management opened the case and the Department of Education of the Generalitat acknowledged its opening, claiming that it had received numerous complaints from families.

The teacher received warnings and even visits from the school principal, but he refused to change the language of his classes. He claims that even his students had no issues with Spanish, and he expressed this in his defence.

“What if we respected the linguistic choice of families?”

The case comes as the Constitutional Court has yet to rule on the use of 25% Spanish in Catalan classrooms, a regulation that is not applied in the community's schools due to the law passed by ERC, Junts, the Comunes, and the PSC. The Govern has also not changed its linguistic direction, and the Minister of Linguistic Policy maintains that a ruling from European Justice does not affect the entire Catalan educational system.

Álvarez is familiar with these types of procedures, as when he was a teacher at the Professional Conservatory of Vigo, now in Burgos, the Xunta de Galicia reprimanded him for drafting a record in Spanish. The reprimand required him to accompany the Spanish with its translation, under threat of sanctions. He argues that that inspection violated legislation and jurisprudence, from a ruling by the High Court of Justice of Galicia in 1996 to another from the Constitutional Court in 2010.