A teacher at the Guillem Sagrera High School boycotts Catalan-language classes: "People are afraid of it"

PalmA teacher at the Guillem Sagrera Secondary School in Palma has sparked controversy after preventing students from submitting assignments in Catalan and urging them to do so in Spanish. The school's language policy explicitly states: "Catalan, as established by current legislation, is the language of instruction and learning at the school and will be used in all organized activities. Consequently, it will be the instrument of teaching and learning and of regular communication in all internal and external areas of the school, and especially in activities with students." However, the document does not specify in which language any subject should be taught and merely states that at the beginning of the school year each teacher will be asked which language they will use and that everything will then be managed to ensure compliance with current regulations.

According to several families who spoke with ARA Baleares, this situation directly conflicts with the school's rules and the educational policy promoting the Catalan language, which, at least on paper, is the prevailing policy. School staff indicate that some students felt pressured to comply with the teacher's demand and gave in. They also assert that she is "certainly a problematic person, and people are afraid of her." "She looks very bad," they add. "A teacher overheard students complaining that she wouldn't let them hand in an assignment in Catalan because she says she doesn't understand it," they report. For its part, the administration of Guillem Sagrera has declined to comment and refers all inquiries to the press office of the Ministry of Education. The Ministry is awaiting an inspection report to clarify the facts.

Students who drop out

"The dolls normalize linguistic renunciation because the teacher is the authority figure. They criticize their parents, but it doesn't go any further," says a parent at the school, who laments the ban on the local language. ARA Baleares has also received other complaints from colleagues: the teacher in question called an Arab student "Ali Baba" and referred to a student from another class as "deficient." The affected families hope that measures will be taken so that students can work in the language established in the school's curriculum without suffering academic repercussions.

This conflict comes at a time when the Balearic educational community is placing great emphasis on promoting and protecting Catalan in schools and institutes, following the guidelines of current regional legislation and the schools' language projects. Meanwhile, the Government has incorporated the Linguistic Segregation PlanThe government has introduced Spanish as the language of instruction and will allow teachers applying for hard-to-fill positions to be exempt from Catalan. If there's one idea that's prevalent in the educational community, it's that many schools aren't complying with the minimum standards decree. Spanish is the majority language. However, on paper, everyone follows the rules. The problem is that, once the classroom door closes, only teachers and students know what really happens. There are teachers who, quite consciously, are disregarding the language project and the language normalization objectives it sets.