"There is a free market for education; the public school needs it outside"
- 29 of the Basque Public School They have just held a party in Labastida. We asked Lurdes Imaz, coordinator of the Association of Fathers and Mothers of Students of the Basque Country, about the characteristics of the public school, the challenges and the Law of Education of the CAV. "People have to know that in the CAV Education Act there is no intention of prioritizing public school, and what's worse, public school is in danger."
“The school cannot leave children behind,” the video clip of this year’s party highlights. Can it be considered one of the main demands of the public school?
Yes, the main message of the video clip is that all students who study in public schools must have the same rights and opportunities to have what they want in life, and to do so the centers need conditions and infrastructures. The motto of this year’s festival is “Hazitik gora!”, with the aim of giving visibility to the good work carried out by the public schools of Rioja Alavesa.
You are critical of the CAV Education Act that is being bought.
We must demand more than ever the public school, because in the educational agreement agreed by the political parties of the Basque Parliament and in the decrees that are already emerging we see that the law will not prioritise the public school and that it will not be good for the public school. People have to know that the CAPV Education Act has no intention of prioritizing public school, and what's worse, public school is in danger.
The last example is the draft school planning decree, which does not place the public school at the centre of the educational system, but proposes a system similar to the free market system for education, to see which and how many pupils are able to attract each school. And we've already seen the result: that planning creates segregation. Although the law wants to get into the logic of the market, we believe that the public school should be outside of such an approach, that the key is to work in network and create a strong network of public schools for our future. Let's make public school a strong network, from everyone's participation and collaboration.
The party is the showcase of the public school. What public class do we have?
We always emphasize that the public school is Euskaldun, as it has been the most important tool for Euskaldunizar in this country. It is also an example of offering quality education to all kinds of students, and it is very important to highlight the idea of the community, working together between teachers, parents and management. That's the public school.
What would you highlight from the debates and challenges that public education has on the table?
We need planning that prioritizes public schools, with more public places and that guarantees a public offer in all places for all ages. In addition, the public school must be well equipped, needs adequate infrastructure and resources. We also have a great challenge with the Basque Country: the parents of the public school have made a clear commitment to model D and we still have much to improve in this way, among them, ensuring the use of the Basque Country in the after-school hours. Another challenge is to continue building participatory communities.
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