Alhora proposes Catalan-language school network at UAB congress

The political organization Alhora held its first ‘Doble Xarxa’ (Double Network) Congress at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB), drawing approximately 500 participants, including teachers, linguists, lawyers, and activists. The event focused on a proposal to create a network of public schools operating entirely in Catalan, offered as a voluntary choice for families to run alongside the existing system.

Alhora president Jordi Graupera presented the model, arguing that the current universal immersion system is effectively already a ‘double network’ determined by neighborhood and income levels. He suggested that the linguistic conflict should be moved from classrooms and courts into the political arena to find a definitive solution.

The proposal is based on research by sociolinguist Jordi Martí Monllau, which cites data indicating a decline in Catalan usage among students. Specifically, data from the Síndic de Greuges suggests that only 14.8% of primary schools and 17.4% of secondary schools conduct more than 75% of their classes in Catalan. Furthermore, Catalan usage during group work among 4th-year ESO students reportedly dropped from 67.6% to 21.4% over a fifteen-year period.