Education strengthens the Catalan reception of newly arrived students

PalmThe Ministry of Education has increased the resources it provides to the Linguistic and Cultural Reception Program (PALIC), aimed at facilitating the integration of newly arrived students through language immersion in Catalan and learning about the local environment. This 2025-2026 academic year, 1,247 hours will be allocated to schools in the Balearic Islands, 233 more than the 1,014 hours of the previous academic year. Over two academic years, Antoni Vera's Ministry has increased this program by 516 hours.

The General Directorate of Early Childhood, Diversity, and Educational Improvement is maintaining the "Live Culture" program this academic year, which last year reached more than 86,000 students. This year, the program will include around sixty activities in the Balearic Islands, with a special emphasis on the world of fables, which it hopes to use as an educational tool and cultural transmission tool.

PALIC is a key project for high schools, which can provide more specific linguistic and cultural support to young people who need it. Thus, throughout the week, students who are still in the process of acquiring the language leave the regular classroom to participate in intensive language reinforcement sessions. At IES Can Peu Blanc, where between 30% and 40% of the students are of foreign origin, PALIC serves dozens of students. "A lot of work is done to help them speak and feel Catalan. We also go on outings around Sa Pobla, because the idea is for them to socialize and get to know the environment in which they live," explains Magda Juan, a teacher in the Catalan Department.

Creating Safe Spaces

According to Juan, the key is creating a safe and welcoming environment. "Students should have a comfortable space where they can use Catalan freely," he says. With almost twenty years of experience, he advocates for a more human approach to teaching. "It's a different way of working, especially in secondary school, where some schools simply teach the curriculum and that's enough," he criticizes. For her, emotional support is just as important as linguistic support. "Their lives undergo a radical change, and we must empathize with them," he points out, referring to students who arrive in the islands, forced to leave their country of origin.

At the Santa Margalida Secondary School, with 19% of students from abroad, the PALIC program is also implemented. The diversity of realities complicates internal organization, which is not easy. "In one classroom, we have students with seven different levels, which makes the work difficult," explains Immaculada Roca, from the Guidance Department. "We need to be able to work with more homogeneous groups," she says. Students typically participate in the program for one or two years. Despite the difficulties, Roca emphasizes that family support makes a big difference: "Those who have a supportive family can function independently in Catalan within six months," he says.