On 3 October we read the news. The decree of the Basque Government will exempt students who have undergone Basque studies from presenting the necessary documentation to ensure their knowledge. The government will employ half of the school hours in Basque – see table on page 6.

The Basque Minister of Education, Isabel Celaá, and the Basque Minister of Culture, Blanca Urgell, appeared that day to point out that the research carried out by the Basque Institute of Evaluation and Research of the Irakas-Institute System supports the current decree. However, according to these studies, most 6th grade students have enough knowledge to exceed level B1, and at the end of ESO they reach level B2. The Minister of Education also said that the decree will have retroactive effects and thus affect all titles obtained from 16 April 2008. Certainly, the titles of the Basque Government and those of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages were approved on that day.

On the contrary, the Basque Government intends to exempt students from the possibility of presenting study exchange certificates and not exchange certificates. On the contrary, the Minister of Culture pointed out that it is a more appropriate and "more normative" path than the awarding of titles. The Head of Education added that the decree will end "injustice" towards students who study in Basque, because once they have learned Basque, they will not be required to test the level, which does not happen with Spanish. The decree means “freeing” many students, as “many have to spend money and time now demonstrating the level of Euskera”. Soon other opinions came from the sectors that are working most on the normalization of the Basque country.

Euskera Exemption Decree

For example, Lionel joined the subject in his usual analysis in Joly Jakin magazine. We are talking about number 186 September-October, in which Joly wrote with the title: The Autumn Socio-Linguistic Salsa: “The Basque Country is normalizing, the socio-linguistic situation of the Basque Country is normalizing, that is the conclusion that can be drawn from the presentation of the last decree of the Basque Government.” Regarding the decree, he wrote that it was a “decree of exemption from the Basque Country”, and added: “If you want to get the Basque Country out of the emergency situation, it means that the situation of the Basque Country was not normal and that by decree things are normalized to reach a normal situation … Trying to show that the situation of the Basque Country is normal is like seeking teeth from the chickens”. For this sociolinguist, it is true that on the path of the Basque Country “there are improvements, but on other fronts, which are fundamental and that mark the normality of the situation of the language – daily uses of the language, respiratory spaces, etc. –, not progress has been made, but backwards”.

Lionel Joly performed two sociolinguistic exercises in Jakin's article. On the one hand, he analyzed the discourse that the Basque Government presented at a press conference and, on the other, the opinions of the authorities on the sociolinguistic situation of Euskal Herria.

She referred to the words of Isabel Celaá: “It is not normal for a country to require citizens in its official language to have a language certificate in the public administration, for example when accessing a job.” Joly, after reflecting on normality, says: “In the case of some countries, given their socio-linguistic circumstances, it is true that applying for a local language certificate would be a nonsense, it would not be normal. But the socio-linguistic situation of the Basque Country, the Basque Country, is not the situation of those peoples, and perhaps what is not normal in another context makes sense here, given the local context, and should be absolutely normal, unless the situation changes. Bilbao is not Paris or London, the Basque in Bilbao is not French in Paris or English in London. The education system, language policy and the management of language certificates must therefore be different. But in Paris and in London things are not so simple.” At a press conference, the counselors stated that “in order to normalize the Basque country, we have to recognize that we live in a normal country and that this people has a normal educational system”, and this sociolinguist replied: “The Basque Country is certainly a normal country, but it also has its characteristics and one of them is unequal social multilingualism, and it must be taken into account, especially when managing languages and educational models.”

Lionel Joly was also interested in the second exam, that is, his speech: “See how the economic crisis and instrumental discourse are spreading in society.” The authorities said: “Currently there are 37,000 people studying Basque in the Basque Country of HABE. Among them, more than a quarter are young people between the ages of 16 and 25, to whom the exemption decree can benefit from the saving of time and money involved in not attending examinations. But it's not just a matter of money. We cannot allow young people to immerse themselves in useless procedures that are of no use at all.” And Joly, holding his ear, said: “Of course, if there are fewer students, there will be fewer teachers in the Basque Country and in times of crisis that is important for the administration. Not making language policy for the Basque country would also save more money, but perhaps, and for the time being, that would be too great a social and political cost.”

The socio-linguist has also talked about the models of Paris and London: “How is it possible in Paris and London to recruit people with ‘proper’ knowledge of the language? Is a French certificate requested in Paris? In most cases not, the way to ensure competition is much easier, more natural: to access the administration or private companies, during the selection process various oral exercises, writings, interviews, etc. are carried out. In all these exercises the candidate must use the language, so during the whole process his/her linguistic competence is measured and, therefore, in a simple way, it is out of him/her that does not have enough linguistic ability (or that does not develop with the standard). If naturality has been demanded, normality to defend the decree, we could conclude that, therefore, the tests of access to the administrations will be carried out in Basque... but, of course, the sociolinguistic contexts are different”.

Euskaltegis, second-degree sons and daughters

We've had Jon Zabala and Mailu Lasarte as contertulios. Both run the Euskaltegi IKA of Vitoria-Gasteiz. We have been asking them and, during the course of the interview, we have also seen hallucinating pains: “The current government says – and the former also – that Euskaltegis are this and that, but we have always been second-level sons and daughters. We are always told that we are a strategic sector. The last one, we heard it on September 27.” On that day the Euskaltegis appeared in the Parliament of Vitoria-Gasteiz. Euskaltegis spoke and party representatives responded. “Everyone spoke for us! They will also do pp and UPD. For us, no doubt. What's going on here? Everyone agrees, Aralar, PNV, PSE-PSOE – ‘but there is no money’, the socialists said – all agree, ‘strategic sector’ and the rest. So what?”

The two managers have to say old and new things: “It has been written by former Vice-Minister of Linguistic Policy Patxi Baztarrika, who over the past 25 years have been Euskaldunified by some 300,000 people. Of these, 100,000 correspond to the work of the Euskaltegis. There's something. How much have you spent on the production of those 200,000 in Education? How much money have we euskaldunized in the Basque Country, that is, the rest of those 100,000? We even told Baztarrika: ‘Account, please do the calculation, with one-tenth of the money you spend on Education we would have produced half.’ At the time of Miren Azkarate it was not different either, the Euskaltegis yes, but no. According to Azkarate, education had to Euskaldunizar the Basque Country. Or the CAPV. But in 30 years he hasn’t done it.”

What has the government said to the Basque people? “In five years we will have a 30% loss of students. The strategic plan says that this refers to the Euskaltegis of the CAV. What will be the cause of the decline? Among other things, this draft decree, i.e. the exemption from the submission of documents by several persons. On the other hand, the crisis is always there. Economy. Our question is: It is estimated that 30% will be lost for students. Will that happen, or will the means be put in place for this to happen? After all, that depends on the linguistic policy that is made,” Zabala and Lasarte told us.

Those responsible for IKA are of the opinion that the exoneration of several people from submitting the Basque certificate is not going to be of any use. “Many of these students will join the civil servants’ career, without being able to acquire skills in Basque, but without being creators. Apparently, yes, we will have Euskaldunes in Lakua – let us say at the head office of the government – but there we will have to go in Spanish. In this respect, for example, we have an ongoing Training Programme. Through it we have nineteen teachers in Lakua to help workers with EGA or fourth grade to do their job. It is a way to encourage both oral and written use.” The exemption from the presentation of documents will lead to confusion between the receiving vasco-speakers and the creators in the same basket. “Many will have the recognition of the level of the document in Basque, but they will not be able to use the Basque language because they will not know; at least, they will not have it to do their work. They're bilingual receivers, but they're not creative. And how are we going to give a C1 level class to someone who has a recognized C1 level? Sorry, but it seems to us a Christ. If education seemed to be what it had to give in theory, we would agree. If not, no.” To put in the same bag all those who have studied half of the subjects in Basque, no: “You can’t compare Vitoria with Aulesti, for example.” This is the importance of the socio-linguistic situation in the area, which does not take account of the decree.

At the time of the production of the report, the communication of the Basque Government took place on 17 February. “As the registration periods for Euskera level accreditation examinations are about to be opened, the Department of Education and the Department of Culture would like to recall that a new decree is being processed which exempts persons wishing to obtain a job in the public administration and who have completed their studies in Euskera from the submission of language certificates (these exceptions will also apply to other jobs outside the administration, such as private teaching centres.” And tell the fire wood.