News
Demonstration called to defend education in Occitan
Provençal Occitan courses to be eliminated in several lycées and collèges · Demonstrators to rally on May 31 in front of Lycée Felix Esclangon
This action is a continuation of a campaign to save Occitan courses in lycées (high schools) and collèges (junior high schools) in Manòsca, Aurenja (Orange), Chastèu Arnós, Cadenet, Cavalhon (Cavaillon), Costelen and Tarascon, among others. The elimination of those courses has been announced for the next academic year. A pro-Occitan courses online petition has reached nearly 800 signatures.
Teaching of Occitan facing threats throughout the country
Under the reform of French schools, which is expected to take place in the academic year 2016-2017, further marginalization of the teaching of Occitan is planned. This means a step backwards, even in comparison with the 2013 French law on education.
As a result, similar attacks against Occitan are announced throughout the country. For example, Occitan teaching is planned to be eliminated at the College Sant Maur, in Pau (Bearn). In Perigord, the so-called The Despised Group are defending Occitan teaching, but their requests collide with the rejection of the French State Council.
The Federation of Teachers of Oc Language and Culture (FELCO) is struggling too against the planned reform, participating in numerous protests and meeting with political representatives. Aiming to show their disagreement, and to ask that the teaching of minority languages be maintained and improved, FELCO has launched a public petition to the French Ministry of National Education that has achieved more than 6,700 signatures.
(This news was first published by Occitan news site Jornalet, with which Nationalia has a partnership agreement. Translation into English by Nationalia.)