WHAT WOULD THE BASQUE COUNTRY WIN LOSING ITS IKASTOLAS, THE OWN BASQUE LANGUAGE SCHOOL NETWORK?

Arantxa Urbe

02-01-2021, GARA.

Abstract:

Every now and then the press in the Peninsular Basque Country comes up with recurrent debates over the state-run education (“public”) and the own Basque language school network emerged during Franco’s dictatorial regime, pivoting on Basque language and culture. Supporters of state-run education claim that the ikastola network does not make any sense nowadays, since all state-run schools in the western Basque Country also operate in Basque.

On the other hand, according to Arantxa Urbe, it should be considered that the status of our people is not normalized. We remain under control of Spanish and French political institutions, and our national language is minorized. Given the circumstances, a new definition of “public” is necessary.