"Enough of giving away the C1 in Catalan": Secondary school teachers, against the title being automatically awarded in 4th year of ESO

BarcelonaThe Secondary School Teachers' union (aspepc·sps) has launched an offensive against "giving away" the advanced level Catalan certificate (the C1) when passing 4th year of ESO, at 16 years old. The campaign aims to collect signatures to break this automatic process, which they believe certifies students with an advanced level of language that they do not actually have.

The C1 level is the level required to work in the public sector and is, for example, the one held by teachers and professors, among other civil servants. In a statement, Secondary School Teachers (aspepc·sps) states that "giving away certificates is deceiving society and belittling the language".

Teachers assert that, in the reality of 4th-year ESO classrooms, "the oral and written expression of many students does not even remotely reach the skill level typical of a C1 level," and they denounce "the drift" of the Catalan educational system, which "has been inflating grades within a framework of generalized passing."

In fact, they cite: "Pressure on teachers for students to pass and graduate, continuous lowering of requirements, passing by board decision, proliferation of individual plans (PI), and adaptations." And despite this whole situation, all students who have completed at least three years of primary school and all of ESO in Catalonia and pass Catalan language can automatically request the C1. Under the slogan "Enough of giving away the Catalan C1" they have opened a portal to collect signatures for their proposal.

The union proposes that 4th-year ESO students must be examined with a specific, homologated, and standardized external test to obtain the B2 title. The Catalan C1 would only be obtained after the baccalaureate and with a minimum grade of 7 in the Catalan language and literature subject.

Teachers also insist on the demand for a curricular reform that "guarantees that the study of Catalan language and literature at all educational stages is demanding enough" to maintain the prestige of Catalan. The signatures will be presented to the departments of Education and Linguistic Policy.