A Canary teacher who learned Catalan to work in the Balearic Islands: "I have the C1 and I say it very proudly"

Palma“My name is Lara, I am a teacher in the Balearic Islands and I have a C1 in Catalan. After three years living here, with a lot of effort, hours of study, a lot of patience, many days when I said: ‘I don’t understand anything! What are these weak pronouns?’. But finally I have my C1 in Catalan and I can say it very proudly. Was it hard for me? Yes. If one day I go to live abroad, will I have wasted my time? No. Demanding that teachers know the language of the place where they teach is not an obstacle: it is a sign of respect for the culture, for the families and for the children”, explains Lara, a teacher in the Balearic Islands who has obtained the C1 certificate after three years of effort and linguistic immersion.

"I don’t regret any of those hours. Language is not a bureaucratic obstacle, it is the way in which a place recognizes itself. And learning it is not an imposition", she states.

The teacher has made a video on her social media networks @soylaradelatorre in which she explains her story as a response to the agreement between the PP and Vox to modify the Catalan requirement in certain teaching positions considered hard to fill. According to the pact, this requirement will be flexible in vacancies where there are more difficulties in finding teachers, especially in certain specialties and centers in the Balearic Islands, and initial access to civil service will be allowed without linguistic accreditation, with the possibility of obtaining it once incorporated. Until teachers accredit the position, they will not have a permanent assignment.

The measure has been defended by the promoting parties as a response to the lack of teachers in certain areas and specialties of the Balearic educational system. According to this position, the priority is to guarantee that all classrooms have teachers, especially in a context of difficulties in filling positions in specific areas and in some island territories.

School in Catalan, in danger

However, the decision has generated concern among various educational, union, and social sectors, who consider that relaxing the linguistic requirement may have consequences for the normalization of Catalan within schools. These groups argue that knowledge of the territory's own language is a key tool for educational cohesion and for guaranteeing equal opportunities for students in a bilingual environment.

In this context, testimonies like Lara's take on relevance. Her experience emphasizes the linguistic adaptation process experienced by many teachers who come from outside and decide to join the Balearic educational system. A path that, as she explains, requires effort, perseverance, and commitment, but also brings integration and connection with the school environment. The debate on the Catalan requirement returns to the center of Balearic educational policy, placing two coexisting, tense visions on the table: the need to guarantee teaching positions are filled and the defense of Catalan as a tool for cohesion and identity within the school.