Esquerra brings about an end to gender segregation in subsidised schools to ensure effective gender equality

This week in the Spanish Congress, Esquerra Republicana has managed to safeguard Catalan language immersion in education, getting an amendment passed to the Bill amending the Organic Law on Education—known as the Wert Act—and ending gender segregation in subsidised schools. “It is a moral duty to repeal the Wert Act,” said Esquerra MP and spokeswoman for education, Montse Bassa.

“Esquerra Republicana is working to achieve its own education law within an independent Catalan Republic,” but until this is possible, Esquerra’s MP has announced that the Esquerra group in Congress has achieved three “very important” milestones in this first phase to repeal the Wert Act:

1. On the one hand, safeguarding Catalan language immersion. “We have pressed for Catalan to be the vehicular language in Catalonia in state regulations,” said Ms Bassa.
2. On the other hand, Esquerra has also managed to stop gender-segregated schools from receiving public funding, thus guaranteeing the right of students to receive an education based on effective equality between men and women. Education administrations will also promote teaching material fostering equality and that does not contain sexist or discriminatory stereotypes.
3. In addition, Esquerra Republicana has attained further control by the Catalan education system over its own curriculum, not only in general education but also in vocational training, extending its authority on the content.

Finally, Ms Bassa said she was very proud of the work done in conjunction with the Department of Education of the Catalan Generalitat government and Esquerra’s Education Committee to defend quality learning.