The implementation of Catalan-language schools: "There were teachers who didn't want to hear or speak about it"

PalmDuring the final years of the Franco regime and, above all, during the Transition, schools in the Balearic Islands became one of the main stages of social change. The implementation of Catalan-language education, coeducation, and the modernization of schools shook up an educational system rooted in the past and put teachers, families, and students to the test. Joan Montserrat, head of studies at the CEIP Padre Bartomeu Pou school in Algaida for two decades, recalls the initial difficulties: "When we tried to implement Catalan-language education, there was a lot of back and forth. Along with the principal, Gabriel Vich, we fought hard, we really fought hard. At the first sign of trouble, they'd get up and leave. They didn't even want to hear about it."

Learning Catalan, he explains, wasn't just a matter of willpower, but also required time: "We ran into the problem that the teachers didn't even know their letters. We could read, yes, but not write. We had to take very tough refresher courses. It was no small feat. And, little by little, with the support of other colleagues, we managed."

The resistance wasn't limited to language. The teachers at Padre Bartomeu Pou had to face unexpected and even dangerous situations, such as an ecological crisis caused by the pine trees surrounding the school: "They almost killed us when we cut them down. They sent us letters and we were in the newspapers. The pine sap caused terrible blisters, especially on our waists. There was no way to control it and it was awful."

Educational modernization also involved adjusting schedules and services. The creation of the school cafeteria was another point of contention: "There was resistance to the construction of the cafeteria because it disrupted the aesthetics of the school, from the time of the Republic." It's true he was amazing, but he was essential: he sold us people from Randa and Pina, and at that time, the workday was split. What were these kids doing in the...?

Deconstructing the roles

And then there was the need to implement coeducation, a revolutionary idea for the time. Montserrat recalls the difficulty of breaking with deeply ingrained gender roles: "There's nothing more conservative than education. It should be progressive, and yet it's very conservative. When the attempt was made to make boys and girls equal—that they all had to do the same things, like sharing the classroom—I had serious problems. So, I allowed dolls to play soccer, and I had many debates with parents of boys who felt I was giving them a strange education because gender roles were so deeply entrenched, and they didn't understand the changes I was making."

Coexistence was built step by step. "Initially I only taught boys, and when I also got dolls, I had a meltdown. At first, we didn't know what they were like or how they behaved. Boys and dolls were mixed together in the classroom, but some on one side and some on the other. I would have liked them to sit together, but I let them do as they pleased."

Those years of struggle and perseverance marked a turning point in education in the Balearic Islands. The introduction of Catalan, coeducation, and new pedagogical measures not only transformed schools but also laid the foundations for a more inclusive, modern educational system that respected children's identity and needs. The memories of the teachers who lived through this period demonstrate the tenacity and passion required to create a school system that we now consider normal but that was revolutionary at the time.