Public schools are key to the victory of Valencian in the consultation on language in classrooms

ValenciaThe analysis of the Result of the consultation on language in classrooms in the Valencian Country The study will last for days. When it is over, it will allow us to have a very careful x-ray of the educational and sociolinguistic reality of its 33 regions. At this point, one of the first conclusions that we have already been able to reach is the difference between the preferences of families in public schools and those in private schools. According to figures released by Compromís –taken from data made public by the Generalitat–, if we only take into account public schools, the commitment to Valencian as the majority language of education rises to 61.8%, 12 points more than if private schools are included, when it is reduced to 50.53.

The differences between private and public schools occur in the three provinces. Thus, in Castellón, in public schools the commitment to Catalan is 76% and not 70.50%, if we add the concentrated schools. The same occurs in the province of Alicante, where 39 percent of families in the public system have opted for Valencian as the majority language, 5 points more than the 34.11 percent obtained if we include the private schools. The most exaggerated case is that of the province of Valencia, where 70 percent of families in the public system have preferred Catalan, almost 13 points more than the 57.84 percent obtained if we take into account the concentrated centers. The great difference in the province of Valencia is very much determined by the role of the city of Valencia. In the capital of the Valencian Community, according to data from the association Families for Valencian, the difference is almost 20 points. Thus, if we only evaluate the public centers, the choice of Catalan is 53%, a figure that is reduced to 36.14% if we add the private schools and institutes.

According to the Compromís deputy Gerard Fullana, the great strength of the concerted centers –mostly religious– of the city of Valencia alters The figures. "In public education, families are very clear that language learning adds, not subtracts," stressed the Valencian politician, who recalled that in the Valencian Community as a whole, public centres account for 70 percent of the total. Fullana also complained that the ministry has not provided the absolute figures of results center by center, but rather by percentage, thus making it difficult to evaluate the data.

Other notable elements of the analysis are that in the 25 regions where Valencian has historically been spoken, Catalan has been chosen by 68% of families, a figure much higher than the 50.53% obtained when the eight regions where the voluntary number of students from study 83, which was once defined as temporary, are also taken into account. However, it should be noted that with 52%, Catalan has also prevailed in Serranos, a region where the majority speaks Spanish. Finally, it should be remembered that, despite the victory of Valencian in the referendum, the new educational system involves a reduction in teaching in Catalan compared to the previous multilingual model.