The School Council attacks the exemptions from Catalan for teachers and students

PalmaThe School Council of the Balearic Islands (CEIB) has expressed its rejection of the measures relating to Catalan language knowledge included in the Omnibus Law, which it considers a “serious attack” on the linguistic normalization process. The body, responsible for analyzing regulations affecting the educational field, has placed special emphasis on two provisions: the exemption from the Catalan requirement for teaching staff accessing civil service positions in areas with very difficult coverage and the possibility that students temporarily residing in the Balearic Islands will not have to be examined in this subject.

Regarding the first point, CEIB points out in a statement that this measure contradicts the Law of Linguistic Normalization and the Decree of Minimums, which establish the obligation to accredit linguistic competencies to exercise teaching. Furthermore, it warns that the rule does not specify whether this exemption would affect only provisional access to certain positions or also definitive consolidation or participation in transfer competitions. Currently, there are already exceptions for interim staff in particularly difficult positions to fill, but the Council believes that these flexibilities should not be extended to civil servants who join the educational administration in a stable manner.

Without clear deadlines

In relation to the second measure, the organization criticizes that the new wording opens the door to exemptions without establishing clear deadlines, unlike the previous regulation, which limited this possibility to students with a stay of three years or less in the Balearic educational system.

Overall, the CEIB maintains that these modifications represent a "serious" setback in the protection of the native language of the Islands and that they contradict the Statute of Autonomy, the Law of Linguistic Normalization, and the Autonomous Education Law. Finally, it also criticizes the procedure followed to introduce these changes, as it considers that entities, unions, and representatives of civil society have not been taken into account. It also recalls that the regulation establishes that the School Council must be consulted mandatorily on draft educational bills that the Government submits to Parliament, which has not happened in this case.