TSJC Insists on Applying Ruling Against Catalan Linguistic Immersion

The High Court of Justice of Catalonia intervenes again in the school linguistic model, despite pending appeals at the Supreme Court.

Generic image of a judge's gavel on a desk with legal documents.
IA

Generic image of a judge's gavel on a desk with legal documents.

The High Court of Justice of Catalonia (TSJC) has once again ordered the application of the ruling that annulled the part of the linguistic regime decree in the school system that protected Catalan as a vehicular language, at the request of the Assembly for Bilingual Schooling (AEB).

This decision by the TSJC comes despite the fact that the Supreme Court has not yet resolved the appeals filed against the original ruling. The judicial intervention in the linguistic immersion model in Catalan schools is considered an anomaly, as this model enjoyed broad social consensus until minority entities like the AEB opted for legal action.
In previous resolutions, the courts have taken the liberty of setting the percentage of Spanish language instruction that must be taught in various centers. The current ruling, which was made public the day before the last Onze de Setembre, considers that a 'reasonable presence' of Spanish is not guaranteed, even though the Government's decree foresaw an 'adequate presence of Spanish to guarantee the linguistic competence of students upon completion of compulsory education'.
Separately, the Minister of Economy, Alícia Romero, defended in Lleida the new autonomous financing model agreed upon earlier this year with ERC. This model seeks to correct the underfunding of Catalonia, which is the third community that contributes the most to the common fund and the ninth in terms of receiving, as Romero pointed out. The current financing model expired twelve years ago, and its reform is urgent, as the current structure limits the budgetary capacity of the Generalitat and is based on a framework approved seventeen years ago.

In terms of per capita funding, the Valencian Community and Murcia, both with PP presidents, are the ones that gain the most compared to the current system.