Language Debate Rages On As Balearic President Heads For London « Euro Weekly News

Language Debate Rages On As Balearic President Heads For London

President of the Balearic Government: Marga Prohens. Credit: MargaProhens/Instagram.com

Marga Prohens, head of the Balearic Government, has sparked controversy with her plans to attend the World Travel Market in London, while the battle over Catalan/Spanish rumbles on.

On Monday, November 6 – 8, the World Travel Market event will be held at London’s Excel venue. Mallorcan-born Marga Prohens, the president of the Balearic Government will be in attendance, a decision which has already ignited a fiery debate, writes OK Diario.

The root of contention lies with the PP and Vox coalition’s recent policy enabling the free choice of language in Balearic education—a stark departure from the past eight years of compulsory Catalan under Francina Armengol’s socialist administration.

Education Policy Overhaul

The opposition is seething, particularly with the lack of consensus on the radical changes to the educational language system. Mes spokesperson Lluis Apesteguia urgently demands that Prohens clarify these decisions, which disregard the educational community and the majority of political factions. In Prohens’s absence, Education Minister Antoni Vera will respond to the opposition’s concerns.

The PP-Vox language choice agreement, scheduled for voluntary implementation in the 2024/2025 academic year for younger students and the following year for secondary education, has disrupted the parliamentary status quo. The new language policy has drawn public criticism from both independence and socialist party representatives.

A Divisive Agreement

Apesteguia has publicly expressed disappointment, asserting that Prohens has effectively sealed the fate of her legislature by siding with Vox for ‘linguistic segregation.’ He recalls the previous legislative period marked by similar language disputes, predicting the same outcome

Meanwhile, from the socialist faction, Iago Negueruela has shown gratitude to the Balearic educational community for maintaining dignity against what he calls the deceitful actions of the Consolat de Mar.

Prohens Defends Language Pact

In the face of backlash, President Prohens stands firm on the language choice agreement, denying any insinuations of segregation. She emphasizes that the pact respects both official languages and existing educational regulations

Prohens regrets the educational community’s refusal to engage with the content of the agreement, which she insists was constructed with openness to dialogue.

Written by

John Ensor

Originally from Doncaster, Yorkshire, John now lives in Galicia, Northern Spain with his wife Nina. He is passionate about news, music, cycling and animals.

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