The coordinator of the Confederation of Fathers and Mothers of Students of Euskal Herria, Lurdes Imaz, spoke to ALEA after the suspension of the Basque Public School Festival to be held in Labastida. He has pointed out that the protocols established in the educational centers as a consequence of the pandemic have highlighted the weaknesses that exist in the digitalisation and use of the Basque Country, and hopes to recover the participation of families in the next course. Imaz has emphasized that with the new Basque law of education on the horizon, the priority place that the public school should occupy is the following: "If you make a law, it has to be to recognize that actually the public school is the axis of the system, to strengthen the public school and solve the problems of segregation."

On June 6, the Basque Public School Festival was to be held. Were there no conditions for moving forward?

No. For us the party must be a multitudinous day that ends the course. It must be a day that puts an end to the work carried out throughout the course in a festive atmosphere, which involves thousands of people, and there has been no possibility of doing so. We thought we were going to do it in a smaller format, but we thought Bastida was worth doing it in the usual format, and we decided to postpone it, especially because it wasn't the time to bring together thousands of people and because we think the party has to be like that, if it doesn't make sense.

It is a pity that they have to be delayed for two years in a row.

Yes. It is a pity, but I hope that next year we will do our best, because they deserve it. We want an eternal holiday and really see what we do in Rioja Alavesa.

Precisely, one of the objectives was to recognize the work carried out by the public educational centers of the Rioja Alavesa. What was intended to be rewarded?

Above all, we wanted to make known the work they do. When we celebrate the festival, we try to make the school and the project of that place known and valued. In Rioja Alavesa there is an interesting job being done; there are seven public centres, they are very tangled with each other, and for us it is very important to network and share good practices among all, and that is what they are doing. As for innovation, they also have interesting projects, and we wanted to publicize all those experiences, and recognize the work they are doing in favor of the public school and the Basque Country. All the schools in Rioja Alavesa, the management team and the associations of fathers and mothers have worked, and from the beginning it was clear that it was not the feast of Labastida, but that of Rioja Alavesa.

It's been a tough course. What difficulties would I highlight?

It was a very rare year, because it was the year of the protocol. School is not only a learning space, it is also a space for socialization, and that goal has become very complicated. Much has been lost this year, but looking at next year’s expectations, I think we will be normalising a little. For our part, parents have seen difficulties in accessing school, in order to be able to carry out activities, since parents’ associations usually perform many activities in schools, especially after-school activities. The main difficulty, therefore, has been to function as an educational community, especially in the pedagogical aspect, the compliance with the protocol has hindered the educational process and the space of socialization students need.

Do you see the possibility of solving these problems in the next course?

What we have proposed for the next course is that we have to regain the participation of families again, regain the possibility of families entering school and being able to carry out activities.

Can we say that the pandemic has increased public school deficits?

It is a couple of issues that we have always raised. On the one hand, that of digitization, that we needed a plan, and when the pandemic came, we realized that we weren't prepared for it. The pandemic has demonstrated a shortcoming that we had, but we are slowly also taking steps forward, and it will ultimately be an excuse to move forward. And, on the other hand, with the theme of the Basque Country, we said that when the centers were closed and the schedules were reduced, many students were deprived of the possibility of speaking in Basque. It should be taken into account that here most students do not speak Basque at home, it is very important to keep classes open and offer the widest possible schedule in schools. These two topics have been very important in this course, along with participation. At this moment, the most important thing is to recover space, activities and return to normal from the next course.

The Basque Government has already announced that it is planning a new education law for the coming year 2024. What axes should this new law have?

For us, this is a law that puts public schools at the center of the system, or it makes no sense. Making a law to maintain the current dual system makes no sense. If you make a law, you really have to be to recognize that the public school is the axis of the system, to strengthen the public school and to solve the problems of segregation. Otherwise, it makes no sense to adopt a new law to maintain the current situation.

At the beginning of the year, along with other agents, you did the analysis of the Basque public school. Segregation and duality were the keys.

This is where, above all, we stated that there are great problems of segregation in our educational system, and segregation means that the students unfold according to the economic situation or its origin, and that this is one of the biggest challenges our system has. If a law is actually made, that has to be to solve it.

Is the biggest challenge in the education system to address segregation?

In the end, if we want to be a progressive society, we can no longer segregate students. And this is a great challenge, as the data show that the students who most need it in our educational system are in the public network; the scholarship holders, the immigrants, the students who are in a low socioeconomic situation are concentrated mainly in the public network and in particular in some centers. We have to be clear that this is bad for everyone, not only for vulnerable students, but also for others. On the one hand, some of us do not allow them to develop all their capabilities; on the other hand, we lose the opportunity to educate others in that diversity. In addition, all studies indicate that the existence of true diversity in schools is positive for all, which helps people who are at a low level increase their level without affecting those who are at a high level. There is an important awareness work there, and it would be very important for the Department of Education to make an effective awareness campaign; to put the truths on the table, to explain what the studies say.

Can the Department of Education envisage measures to address the problem of segregation?

What has been seen is that this course has done nothing to resolve the issue of segregation, that is clear. What we do not know is whether, in this legislature, you are going to do something about it. For us, what needs to be done in this context is to strengthen the public school and solve the problem of segregation. It has not been done at the moment, but it must be acknowledged that the Department of Education is working, has an open attitude, is taking steps for dialogue and for getting to know the system, and that is very positive. This year they have been to that and we look forward to moving on.

The Basque Public School Meeting Forum has announced a hot autumn. Do you need pressure on the street?

We've created a platform for the public network, Harro Topagune Public School, where we are the associations of mothers and fathers, the addresses, the platforms, the unions, and we work on the elements that unite us, and yes, in the fall we want to mobilize.

In order to win public schools, should the concerted network lose?

In the system we have public schools it is only 40%, and if we look at Europe that is not normal; it is normal that 80% should be public. The public school has a lot to grow, and that is our goal, that the public school should have more and more presence and that there should be more and more students. The policies that have been pursued here have always been to strengthen the concerted network, and there has often been no willingness to boost public school. What has been done is to promote half-heartedly; and that has been presented as normal, but it is not normal for the system to be divided into two, nor for the system to accommodate the most disadvantaged pupils to be a public system. Public schools must be the schools of all citizens, and that requires, as in the advanced countries, that public schools grow.

What role does the public school play in the dissemination of Euskera in a region such as Rioja Alavesa?

It is important that all the activities of the school be in Basque, not only within the class, but outside it; the non-formal aspect is very important. In model D we have guaranteed the formal aspect, that the school schedules will be in Euskera, but when we talk about the non-formal we enter into use, and there we have a lot to do. In order to do so, the administrations must also involve themselves and support the associations of fathers and mothers.

Does today's model system respond to the reality and needs of the public school?

In the public network of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country, 90% is model D, which means that there is a great diversity in model D: there are Euskaldunes and no Euskaldunes, there are more Euskaldunes and Castellanoparlantes districts… And what is happening? The results are getting worse and worse, because it is not the same, for example, learning Basque for someone who lives in a Basque area or who lives in a non-Basque area. We have a real challenge to review and analyze methodologies to see if the work we have done so far responds to diversity. In addition, looking to the future, the birth rate is going to fall and most of those who are going to have children will be families from outside, so we have to think about how we are going to euskaldunify those people. That's the challenge.

Is the participation of parents in educational institutions growing or decreasing?

As in all the spaces where there is volunteering, participation is not high, and above all it is women who participate, but in general it is so in society. The challenge is to bring men into these spaces. On the other hand, at the center level, on the part of the management and the teachers, it is important to believe that parents have knowledge that can be used. Trust, transparency and involvement of parents are needed. We have nice experiences and we have to delve into it. Parents are not under control, we can be a very effective tool for solving school problems and as agents, but that is why trust must be worked out.