Opposition leader claims education should be free from language constraint

THE leader of the opposition Partido Popular (PP) in the Balearics, Jose Ramon Bauza, said yesterday in Palma that his electoral programme will include a new vision for education which he believes should not be constrained by linguistic dogma.

Bauza denied that there had been a split between the main government parties over the law introduced in 1986 which established Catalan as one of the two official languages of the Balearic Islands.

Bauza also said that despite his party's unsuccessful attempt last year get the law modified, there has been no internal government “rupture” as a result.

He did, however, see fit to comment that “as society grows and changes, so laws need to adapt appropriately.” “All we want is equality of rights and the freedom to choose, and I don't believe anyone can put forward opposition to that,” Bauza added, referring to a recently publicised glimpse into the PP's election manifesto which would eliminate the need for Catalan to be a pre-requisite of academic qualifications. “People should be able to apply for government jobs whatever their level of Catalan,” said Bauza.

More widely, Bauza was yesterday defending a more liberal form of education “based on the freedom to choose.” “We don't want a system that is imposed on us from outside,” he said, alluding to the fact that he saw no reason why the language of Catalonia should hold sway in the Balearic Islands. “It is irresponsible to force a linguistic issue on the education of our children.” But there are other elements of regional education which need to be brought up to date, Bauza claimed, such as injecting yet more quality into university education and professional training. “Teachers need to be seen as figures of educational authority,” Bauza said, adding that pupils' interest in their academic career should be stimulated by further incentives.