Blog de immac-2A

EDUCATION IN THE BASQUE COUNTRY- NAVARRE (EUSKAL HERRIA-NAFARROA)
In the Basque Country-Navarre or Euskal Herria we have 3 types of schools:
1-Public school
2-Private school
3- Concerted schools which are not totally private due to agreements with the Basque Government, the Government of Navarre or the Minister of Education of France.
Both the Basque Country and Navarre were granted autonomous powers with regard to education following the death of Franco in 1975.
The Basque Country-Navarre (Euskal Herria-Nafarroa in Basque language) is divided into three administrations:
The Autonomous Community of the Basque Country (also called Euskadi in Basque) and the Chartered Community of Navarre (Nafarroa) in the south under the administration of the Kingdom of Spain, and the Pays Basque (Iparralde) in the north, included in the department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques in the Republic of France.

MAIN FEATURES OF EDUCATION IN THE SOUTH OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY-NAVARRE.
•Full responsibility in Education. Although the Spanish Ministry of Education outlines the structure of the educational system in the whole Spanish state, including a great part of the curriculum.
•45% of the curriculum decided in the Basque Country-Navarre.
•Multilingual approach. In the Basque Country people speak Basque, French and Spanish so schools have different language models. The structure and language model can differ depending on its geographical location and the administration under which the school works.
–Official languages in the Southern Basque Country: Basque and Spanish.
–Main foreign language: English (starting at the age of 3-4)
•Preschool: %100 of the students at school at the age of 3, 90% at 2.
•Compulsory Education: 6 to 16 years old.
There are four types of school language approaches by their linguistic teaching models:
· X - 0.6% of students. Education is entirely in Spanish.
· A - 26.2% of students. Education is entirely in Spanish, with Basque as a compulsory subject.
· B - 23.0%. Education is partly in Basque, partly in Spanish (usually mathematics and reading/writing).
· D - 50.2%. Education entirely in Basque, with Spanish as a compulsory subject.
IN THE AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY OF THE BASQUE COUNTRY OR EUSKADI
-with all the subjects in SpanishàModel A
-with some subjects in Basque and others in SpanishàModel B
-with all the subjects in BasqueàModel D
Here we start at school when we are 3 years old, and infant school , goes on until we are 5 years. However, many younger children start earlier at nursery between 0-3 years. Nowadays some children whose parents go to work early in the morning let their children at the nursery school even when they are 1 or younger.
In or country school is compulsory until the age of 16. Primary School is from 6 until 12 and then from 12 to 16 the Compulsory Secondary Education.
In Primary School children start school at 9:00 o´clock in the morning until 12:30. They have about 2 hours for lunchtime and in the afternoon they start at 15:00 and end the school day at 17:00.
In secondary education, classes are 8:55 through 12:50, and in the afternoon they from 15:00 to17:00.
When you finish secondary school you can choose between studying the high school (Bachitxergoa/Bachillerato/Baccalaureate) or opt for Intermediate Vocational Training for two years.
High school is harder than secondary school, you have to wake up at 7:00 o´clock in the morning to begin the first subject at 8:00 and on Monday and Tuesday the school day finishes a 15:00 o´clock, but on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday there are no classes after 14:20.
But most students don't finish the school day then because many of them also attend private classes of English, Mathematics, Chemistry or other subjets.
Apart from that, at the weekend students usually have to do extra work to increase their marks or do some other homework or projects, although they also have time to enjoy their free time doing sport or spending their time on other hobbies.

Unfortunately, French, a language geographically and typologically close to Spanish, has been gradually disappearing from the education system in this community to the extent that it is hardly used any longer in the school. The teaching of English, however, has become widespread and it is being introduced at increasingly younger ages. The importance of immigration should be added to this general situation, as it adds to the linguistic variety already existing in the education system. In schools, therefore, one can find a situation which goes from quasi- monolingualism, Spanish, to multilingualism in Spanish, Basque and English, to which we have to add the growing presence of other languages which, from a cultural point of view, are , more distant from the immediate Basque cultural background in which even the Gascon language was quite present only one century ago on both sides of the Pyrenees.
In short, we think that education in the Basque Country is quite good and the day schedule and school year calendar including holidays, of course, are well planned. So, in conclusion, we would say that we are quite happy with our education system.
IN THE NORTHERN BASQUE COUNTRY - PAYS BASQUE - IPARRALDE, PYRÉNÉES-ATLANTIQUES .
Nowadays there are three ways of education in Nafarroa Beherea (Basse-Navarre), Zuberoa (Soule) and Lapurdi (Labourd) – public, religious schools and Seaska concerted schools- in Basque, French and also in bilingual French and Basque. The amount of students in the bilingual stream is of 26% . This is the result of the agreement between the Basque Government and the Public Office of the Basque Language in the Northern Basque Country in favour of the Basque language. This agreement was signed in Bayonne by Max Brisson, President of the Public Office of the Basque Language in Iparralde and Miren Azkarate, Minister of Culture of the Basque Government, in the presence of other French authorities.

This agreement signifies recognition, respect, and mutual confidence between the Educational officials of both regions.
After all, plans for the near future have changed for the better. On the one hand, 7,579 students in primary from 16,972, learn now Basque or in Basque; and if we bear in mind students in pre-school the percentage is still higher. On the other hand, the secondary school will have three new bilingual classes in Donibane Garazi (Saint Jean-Pied-de-Port) Hiriburu and in Uztaritz.

To sum up, the evolution for the last few years seems to be fairly positive for the bilingual classes and is filling the prospects set many years ago.

IN THE CHARTERED COMMUNITY OF NAVARRE (NAFARROA)

In Navarre, two languages, Spanish and Basque, live side by side, though in a situation of difficult equilibrium, since Spanish is the majority language, widely used in the media and in public administration and fostered by the present day government. Such inequality often causes tension between certain sectors of the population in which opposing views are held about the value of Basque and the role that is appropriate for it in public life. The situation is regulated by the so-called Basque language Law ( 1986) which establishes a linguistic zoning that divides the community into three parts, and has important implications for the development of different educational language models.

The sociolinguistic situation of Navarre is outlined, and changes in enrolment figures for the three principal language models (A, D and G) in infant and primary school in the different linguistic zones are examined from 1988/1989 to 2005/2006.

Linguistic model Languages Languages taught Linguistic area
A Spanish Basque and foreign language usually English. Basque area, mixed area and non-Basque area.
D Basque Spanish and foreign language usually English. Basque and mixed areas.
G Spanish Foreign language, usually English. Non- Basque area and mixed area.

As a general conclusion, it could be said that the population of Navarre has accepted in a reasonable way the presence of the Basque language and culture which have always existed in the community. This is shown in positive attitudes and increasing demand for the teaching of Basque and education through the medium of Basque, although the growth of indifference must also be noted. Perhaps it is in the school that the linguistic normalisation has achieved the biggest success in the community, despite obstacles and setbacks. The population now considers education trough the medium of Basque as something normal.

By: Nerea Frances, Ane Illarramendi, Anne Salegi and Eider Larrañaga.