The school in Catalan: families choose coexistence

PalmaThere are moments when the data speak with a clarity that no political discourse can deny, and this is one of them. In Mallorca, 81.85% of families have chosen Catalan as the primary language of instruction for their children, in 4th grade of early childhood education, or in other words, four out of every five families have opted for Catalan. This is not just another piece of data; it is a political and social message of enormous significance and, above all, a resounding refutation of the narrative that the Government of the Balearic Islands has attempted to construct around language and schooling.

Since the beginning of this legislature, the Government of the Balearic Islands, spurred on by the far-right, has turned the Catalan language into an ideological battleground, has promoted measures to question the linguistic model of educational centers, and has fueled a discourse according to which Catalan was a problem that needed to be corrected. All of this has been part of a strategy aimed at generating conflict where, for decades, broad social consensus had taken root. But in this political context, and with unprecedented demographic change, society has responded in another way: without stridency, without confrontation, and with the serenity of someone making a decision thinking about their children's future. Families have exercised their right freely, and the result is that they continue to trust Catalan as the primary language of instruction, because they know it is the best guarantee for their children to end up mastering both official languages and because they understand that the native language of the Balearic Islands needs a school that ensures its transmission.

This is, probably, the main lesson these figures leave us with. The Government has tried to build a conflict that society simply does not share. The Government has wanted to present Catalan as an imposition, but families have claimed it as an opportunity, and when it has tried to turn the school into a space for ideological confrontation, the vast majority of citizens continue to understand it as a space for cohesion, integration, and equal opportunities.

This result is also good news because it confirms that there is a social majority much broader than any parliamentary majority that continues to recognize the value of Catalan as a shared language. In this context, and for the third consecutive year, OCB has promoted a campaign to inform families about the importance of this choice and to defend, with arguments and rigor, a school in Catalan that is cohesive, integrating, and committed to equal opportunities.

Therefore, our entity's first reaction must be to say 'thank you'.

Thank you to all the families who have not allowed themselves to be drawn into confrontation. Thank you for having trusted a school that educates, integrates, and unifies. Thank you for having shown that Catalan continues to be, for an immense majority of citizens, a language of the future and a shared heritage that deserves to be preserved, and thank you because, despite the attacks against the native language, the country retains an immense capital: the commitment of thousands of families who understand that Catalan is not the problem but an essential part of the solution.

Neus Picó Veny is a member of the board of directors of Obra Cultural Balear