Catalan pupils in year 6 of primary school and year 10 of secondary school score better in spoken Spanish than in spoken Catalan. That’s one conclusion from test results conducted last May and published on Tuesday.
The results show around 40% of students reach a notable level in both languages. However, looking at those achieving excellent results or those failing to meet competencies reveals bigger differences between the two languages.
The failure rate hits 3.4% in Catalan vocabulary for year 6 pupils, compared to just 0.8% in Spanish. In year 10, 4.8% lack competencies in Catalan vocabulary, dropping to 1.4% for Spanish. More students achieve excellent results in Spanish and more fail in Catalan.
Education minister Esther Niubó reacted positively to the overall results in parliament. “We know there’s room for improvement and the data doesn’t mean we should settle. But it does mean, as I’ve said several times, the system isn’t doomed to defeatism,” she said. She added there are “solid foundations we can work from,” referring to the general sense that Catalan pupils’ results in various tests have shown scope for improvement in recent years.
The results come as Catalan faces renewed threats in classrooms. Courts have questioned the parliamentary model to protect language immersion, putting the system under pressure once again.
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