Along with democracy the Catalan language was restored in the sphere of education. Nevertheless, the introduction of Catalan varied considerably depending on the territory. Thus, whereas in Catalonia and the Balearic Islands a linguistic model was adopted according to which Catalan is the main vehicular language, a radically different model was followed in the Valencian Community in which parents are, in theory, able to choose which language their children are educated in.
Catalan was removed from the sphere of education between the 17th and 20th centuries, as the various states in which the language is spoken imposed obligatory education in the respective state language. Nevertheless, the country’s different social sectors were aware that education is a decisive sphere both for the country’s progress and for the language's vitality, meaning the demands to introduce Catalan into education and the complaints concerning the relegation were frequent throughout all of this period.
The situation started to change, above all in Catalonia, from the 20th century, with the raise of Catalan Nationalism; firstly on the part of the Commonwealth of Catalonia and later the Autonomous Republican Government. It was in fact the Catalonia Statute of Autonomy 1932 which for the first time introduced the teaching of Catalan to all levels of education. Unfortunately, the period of autonomy was extremely brief, although its work laid the foundations that would allow, decades later, professional education sectors to maintain the Catalan language, even at the height of the Francoist Dictatorship, when the language was prohibited and its use persecuted.
The recovery of democracy and a certain degree of autonomy in the Catalan-speaking territories included in the Kingdom of Spain allowed the recovery of the language in the sphere of education, an example that was to stimulate the rest of the linguistic domain. However, the recovery was highly uneven around the territory, and the regional and administrative fragmentation means that today, the position of Catalan in the world of education varies hugely depending on the location in question.
By territories
La Bressola secondary school, in El Soler, Northern Catalonia.
Santa Teresa School in Barri del Carme in Valencia, decorated for the 25th anniversary of the school reunions in Valencia. In general terms, it can be said that the introduction of Catalan as a subject was completed, at least in Catalonia, the Valencian Community and the Balearic Islands, during the Spanish transition to democracy. In fact, all of the statutes of autonomy and the first linguistic laws paid special attention to learning and the educational use of Catalan, since a principle was set that meant all of the population had to be competent in all the official languages so as to avoid inequalities or social splits on account of language. However, the linguistic school models developed in each territory differ considerably from each other.
In Catalonia, a unitary linguistic model has been formed with Catalan as the main vehicular language known as a "conjunction model", based on the notion that "everybody has the right to education in Catalan" and this language "must normally be used as vehicular language, and for university and non-university learning and teaching", as stated in article 35 of the Catalonia Statute of Autonomy of 2006. The conjunction model aims to prevent school segregation on linguistic grounds, even though it recognises the right to receive primary education in Catalan and Castilian and recognises the right of pupils joining the Catalan school system later to receive linguistic support if Catalan is not their first language. This model of course requires the teachers to be able to express themselves in either of Catalonia’s two official languages. In order to guarantee this point, in 1991 a law was approved governing access to the education sector, requiring teachers to have a level of Catalan and Castilian allowing them to perform their professional duties in accordance with the applicable legislation.
The linguistic school model in force in the Balearic Islands closely follows that of Catalonia, although the presence of Castillian there as a vehicular language is slightly more significant. However, a radically different model has been followed in the Valencian Community, based upon linguistic lines. According to this model, parents are able to choose, at least in theory, which language – Catalan or Castillian – their children should be educated in. However, this theory is usually far from the reality, since very often the administration does not guarantee the existence of "lines in Valencian", not even where there is a strong demand.
The position of the Catalan language in the rest of the domain is also complex. Andorra, a state characterised by a high population of immigrants and people passing through, has various educational systems: the state school "Escola Andorrana", with Catalan as the main language and a strong presence of French as L2; the congregational schools, with Catalan as vehicular language; the Spanish system, with Castilian as the language medium; and the French system, with schools operating in this language. However, in the Franja de Ponent, Catalan is merely an optional subject within the framework of an entirely Castilianised school. In Alghero and Northern Catalonia, on the other hand, the teaching of Catalan as an optional subject coexists with certain educational initiatives in Catalan, under total or partial immersion.
The linguistic school models of the Catalan-speaking territories have been shaken by waves of immigration in the 1990s and 2000s. These waves have altered the demographic composition of the pupils, to the point that in a decade foreign pupils have risen from 1% to more than 12%. These new pupils’ specific needs have motivated a succession of initiatives, such as the current "welcome schools", intended to make it easier to learn Catalan and to incorporate pupils newly arrived to the centre swiftly and in a personalised way. In 2007, there were a total of 1,081 such schools in Catalonia (636 in primary, 347 in secondary and 91 in assisted schools).