35% of undergraduate courses at the UIB are planned to be taught in Catalan, but only 26.7% are actually taught in Catalan.

PalmCatalan has a presence almost symbolic at the University of the Balearic Islands (UIB)Fewer than three out of every ten subjects are taught in Catalan, and in some fields of study, its absence is practically total. This is the finding of a report by Jóvenes de Mallorca por la Lengua (Youth of Mallorca for Language), the Balearic Islands Youth Council, and the SEPC (Spanish Society of Catalan Language Students), which highlights the gap between language planning and the reality in classrooms. According to the president of the Consell (Island Council), Pau Emili Muñoz, the study was based on an analysis of 592 subjects and a survey of 300 undergraduate students. While 72% of subjects formally allow the use of Catalan—often because they are defined as mixed-language instruction—only 35% are actually taught entirely in Catalan. However, only 26.7% are truly conducted entirely in the local language.

"Mixed-language teaching often inflates the figures and creates the perception that Catalan is more prevalent than it actually is," Muñoz warned. This situation, she added, means that students often don't know in which language they will receive instruction and may finish their degree without having had any real contact with Catalan. The differences between fields are notable. While in some Humanities and Social Sciences programs the presence of Catalan is high, in others it is almost nonexistent. The most extreme case is Health Sciences, where less than 5% of subjects are taught in Catalan. In Physiotherapy, none are taught at all. "This means that we are training healthcare professionals without contact with their own language," Muñoz warned, also highlighting the lack of consistency between what the course guides indicate and what actually happens in the classroom.

Along the same lines, the spokesperson for Young Mallorcans for the Language, Josep Buades, was emphatic: "The idea that Catalan is guaranteed at the university is false." According to him, its absence in many degree programs is "practically negligible" and stems from a structural problem. "Despite being an official language, it is not guaranteed as a language of instruction," he stressed. Buades argued that students have the right to be educated in Catalan and to master their own language, and warned that failing to guarantee this right means "producing incomplete professionals." He also pointed out that the students "are not the problem but rather the ones who suffer," since they are deprived of this right.

Integration into one's own culture

For her part, SEPC spokesperson Ariadna Garau described the situation as "worrying" and pointed out that one in four subjects that should be taught in Catalan end up being taught in another language. "This prevents students from learning and living in Catalan and hinders their integration into their own culture," she stated. Garau also warned that the low presence of Catalan in the healthcare sector can also violate patients' rights to be treated in their language. "The university is one of the few places where the language is kept alive. If it doesn't promote it, it is contributing to its disappearance," she said. The organizations are demanding urgent measures to reverse the situation, such as strengthening the monitoring of compliance with course guidelines, ensuring that blended learning is implemented, and establishing minimum requirements for classes taught in Catalan. They also propose language volunteer programs and initiatives to incentivize teachers. The UIB has expressed its intention to promote the Catalan language, but faces the difficulty that academic freedom cannot be violated. "It's not about forcing anyone, but about guaranteeing rights and understanding that training in Catalan means training better professionals," Muñoz concluded. The organizations have set a target of at least 50% of teaching being done in Catalan. This is a minimum objective, it was indicated.