SEASKA ikastolas use the money raised in Herri Urrats to meet their needs, but those needs are conditioned by the context, size, objectives… of each ikastola. Let us remember that the ikastolas of SEASKA cannot receive money from public institutions to finance or pay the residences since they are subject to the Falloux law. In 1850 the Falloux Law was elaborated to protect the heritage of the Catholic schools of the time: The State would not pay for the construction of the private school and, in return, the property of the patrimony would be of the Church. In the course of 1994-95, the ikastolas of SEASKA approved this law for them and went from being under the guardianship of SEASKA to being in the hands of the State, and the payments are also made by the State, although, as has already been said, they are not the ones corresponding to the headquarters. According to the president of the federation of ikastolas, Paxkal Indo, it was a decision to take, because otherwise it would not have been possible to meet the expenses and the ikastolas would have disappeared. The Iparralde ikastolas, however, have the daily struggle to cope with expenses.

Xalbador, on the new road with three supports

The College Xalbador de Kanbo (Lapurdi) will devote the money of the festival to deepen its project. "We want autonomous students, Euskaldunes, critics, self-critics and citizens," said the director of the center, Maite Andiazabal, in an interview in the Basque Radio. To achieve this, he considers that the classic themed system is an obstacle: “It is adapted to students without problems, it is elitist and excludes 10%, who directs them to Vocational Training”.

About four years ago, a process of reflection was opened in Xalbador, adding fathers, mothers and professionals to the debate. A school in Bordeaux that leaves behind closed hours of traditional education and works interdisciplinarity was taken as a model. The path that leads to three major supports was unanimously approved, although the programme offered by National Education is also followed. On the one hand, they have created Lankiak, to work in an interdisciplinary way the transversal competences: “The objective of the work is to work curricular competencies, developing coherence and collaboration among the different subjects. The traditional structure does not facilitate this mixture and in Lankieta we potentiate it,” says Andiazabal. On the other hand, the IALA (Workweek between Lessons) initiative has been launched: twice a year, for a week, they interrupt the regular school hours and work on a specific subject, in groups and from different disciplines – to help, bring guests and arrange visits, among other things. Finally, they conduct tutorials, composed of twelve students of different ages. These hours are used to reflect and take advantage of the help of the teacher and other colleagues with the tasks and themes of the school.

Based on the participation of the students, the College has a Euskera Commission composed of the students, the main educator and the faculty. “It’s about driving projects to live in Euskera, making students become the protagonists,” explains the director.

In the words of Andueza, it is not necessary for all students to undertake higher studies, “but the objective of the ikastola is that everyone achieve the autonomy of thought and incorporate tools of expression. We want them to acquire the level to perform a General High School or a Professional Area. So that the studies that come out of here are a real choice, and I can do nothing other than what I have chosen.”

Alozen, fundamental dialect

It is important to lay solid foundations since childhood, and in this work has been in the maternal school of Aloz (Zuberoa) for over 30 years, with children between 2 and 8 years of age. There are only two ikastolas in Zuberoa, the other one is from Sohüta, next to Maule. Solange Chimix, director of the ikastola de Aloze, stressed that the Basque dialect is of great importance in both languages: “The Basque language is not just school, therefore it is necessary to teach it to use it in the street”. This worries Chimix: “The Basque country is weakening, the ikastola can help, but it cannot do everything. Then you have to use it.”

In this sense, the director added that it is good to see the ikastola being strengthened: They have 28 students in Aloz, but they expect within two or three years to be 45. It is a ikastola built by the Colegio Público in good condition: on one side is the public daycare center, on the other is the ikastola. From a single teacher, this year they have moved to two, and we intend to build prefabricated buildings in the short term, to offer them a first and second level.

Ziburu will have ikastola in September

In Ziburu (Lapurdi) there are no ikastolas, but they will have them from September, thanks to the initiative of a group of parents who want to educate children in Basque and in the town. Amaia Saez and Laida Mujika are two of the parents: “We realized that some parents were willing to put their child in a Ziburu ikastola, but not to take him to another town.” In other words, the project will be able to enroll in SEASKA children who would not otherwise go to the ikastola. And Mujika has claimed that a ikastola is more than just a school. “A people needs a ikastola to create dynamics in favor of the Basque country, to educate the children in the people themselves. In addition, the ikastola works to socialize all that. After all, it brings a lot to the people.” They say that many of the parents are French, but that their children want them to learn Basque.

Both Saez and Mujika claim that there have already been previous attempts, but that, unlike what has happened on this occasion, was the lack of drive from a group of parents. The greatest difficulty has been to obtain a place, but once the place and the teacher have been achieved, they have no choice but to pick up more and more children. Interested parties can write to ziburuko.ikastola@hotmail.fr.

EUR 10,000 per student

Not only to create new ikastolas, but to maintain and improve existing ones, Seaska needs the money raised in initiatives such as Herri Urrats, to be held next day 13. Paxkal Indo has pointed out that the issue of buildings generates significant costs, as the creation of a new building means an expenditure of 10,000 euros per student.

But it's not the only head breaker in buildings. The French law stipulates that municipalities are obliged to give an amount of money per pupil, whether it is a public or private school. In the ikastolas of the interior it is not fulfilled, says the lehendakari: “The Ortzaize ikastola, for example, welcomes children from thirteen towns and the only one who is obliged to pay is Ortzaize.” But the children of Ortzaize are a minority: of almost a hundred children, eighty are from the outside, resulting in huge losses of money. According to the president of SEASKA, attempts have long been made to change that law, but there are leftist councillors who do not want it. He has criticised the fact that these elects move the fight to the public-private sphere, arguing that France needs a single, public school. “But the problem we have at Iparralde is that model D is only offered by SEASKA,” Indo stresses.

Once the Basque Country has been introduced into the school, now the goal is to disseminate and socialize it. “UNESCO says that 30% of the population has to speak to reactivate a bit of the language, and we translate 10%, we are not enough, Seaska cannot do everything alone. We know how to do the locomotive and we will do it, but we cannot do the whole train, the others will have to start,” said the director. Asked if they started, I'll tell you the following: “Don’t get it wrong, if you start it’s because some kids lose and some go to Seaska. But the most important thing is the question of the Basque Country, since SEASKA was not created to defend SEASKA, but to save the Basque country.”