It's hard to believe. As if we have no other problems in Spain, now not only the imposition for the use of the Valenciano in public and especially in schools is being increased. Spies are also being used to monitor students in the schoolyard to see if our kids speak Valenciano.
Of course, there is also money available for these measures, which the „Plataforma per la LLengua“ (platform for the language), for example, is happy to receive, and uses to pay its 19 employees and needs half a million euros annually for this.
As far as I know on 28 July, El Mundo reported the first of this scandal in Catalonia under the title „The spies of leisure pay half a million euros for salaries“. [1]
Other newspapers also reported this issue and this week, on September 3rd, El Mundo added: „The 'spies of leisure' are preparing a big campaign 'in the schoolyards' of Catalonia“. [2] The Plataforma per la Llengua had already received 3.7 million euros between 2012 and 2018. But of course the platform's role is not limited to spying on students, it also brings charges against companies in Catalonia that have not labelled their shop signs or products in Catalan and many more not acceptable activities.
About Puig, the Valencian president and Torra, the Catalan president, Libertad Digital headlines on 26 August: „Puig copies Torra: there are spies in Valencian schools“. [3] The article then states: „In addition, a questionnaire with 32 questions checks whether Valenciano is used in the cafeteria, at graduation or at parent sessions.“
As if that weren't enough, 136,000 euros of our Valencian tax revenues immediately flowed into the pockets of the plataforma, Las Provincias reported on July 20.[4]
Of course there is more and more resistance against this nationalistic policy of language imposition. On September 5, Las Provincias announced: „Parents begin the legal struggle against the language plans of Marzà“ [5] the Valencian education minister.
Unfortunately, the legal battle will not be enough. Catalan and Valencian governments are used to ignoring laws and judgments. What can we do?
At least the parents can now make it clear that they do not agree to their children being imposed with Valenciano in the schoolyard. The organisation „Hablamos español“ provides a sample letter (see below) with which parents can make it clear to the school that their child should have freedom of language in the schoolyard.
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Click on the picture to open the sample letter (.pdf). It can then simply be filled out and signed. |
To the Director of the schoolFootnotes
(With copy to the Provincial Director of Education)D.
as parent and/or guardian of the pupil:
In view of the possibility that my child may be obliged to use the Valencian language in any extracurricular activity or outside school hours, I would remind you that there is no rule in force that protects such a claim. Since the so-called Decree of plurilingualism promulgated by the Government of the Autonomous Community has been suspended by Judgment of the TSJCV (highest Valencian court), no Language Project prepared by the Educational Centre following the precepts declared null and void has binding force in this matter for pupils and their legal representatives. By virtue of the foregoing, I wish to inform you that my son/daughter/pupil may use the language of his or her choice in any activity carried out by the Educational Centre outside official school hours, and the staff of said Centre must abstain from making any indication or recommendation to guide or impose the use of one or another co-official language, all this by virtue of Additional Provision 38 no. 3 of the Organic Law on Education, which prohibits discrimination against any of the official languages. - For all of this, I demand you to consider the above statements as made and to respect my will as the legal representative of the minor pupil.
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