English Philology students protest outside Government Delegation

Newsdesk SOME 50 professors and students of English Philology from the Balearic University (UIB) demonstrated yesterday outside the headquarters of the national Government's Delegation in Palma to demand that English Philology is kept as a degree course within the new catalogue of degree courses which the national Ministry of Education and Science is designing. The vice dean of English Philology studies at the UIB, Maria Juan, said that they are “worried” that this specialist academic course will disappear, especially in view of the fact that English is a language which “has a great social relevance, both inside and outside our country”. The demonstrators, who also demonstrated at the University on Tuesday, said that it is important to continue this course, as it is a “language of prime importance”, in which “most of the cultural and scientific investigations in the world are carried out”. With regard to this, Maria Juan said that English Philology “is the course most in demand” by students in this field, and remarked that there is a “growing demand” in the work market. The vice dean said that “we are not opposed” to the new degree course in Modern Languages and Literature which the Ministry is planning, although she insisted that “it is important that this specific degree for English studies continues”.