Education to establish Valencian language base units in seven Spanish-speaking municipalities

The Department of Education is enabling new lines for the next academic year in municipalities like Segorbe, Buñol, and Loriguilla, responding to family demand.

Generic image of a children's classroom with sunlight.
IA

Generic image of a children's classroom with sunlight.

The Department of Education will establish Valencian language base units in seven Spanish-speaking municipalities, including Segorbe, for the upcoming 2026/2027 academic year, responding to family demand.

The Department of Education, Culture, and Universities will implement Valencian language base units in the Spanish-speaking municipalities of Buñol, Chelva, Loriguilla, Marines, Navarrés, Villar del Arzobispo, and Segorbe. These measures will be implemented for the 2026/2027 academic year.
Specifically, a shift from Spanish to Valencian language lines has been proposed for the three-year-old Early Childhood Education level at CEIP San Luis in Buñol and CEIP Virgen del Remedio in Chelva. A change to the first year of Primary Education is also proposed at CEIP Maestro Fernando Montero Castellano in Villar del Arzobispo. Furthermore, a new three-year-old Early Childhood Education unit in Valencian will be established at CEIP W.A. Mozart in Loriguilla, CEIP Castillo del Real in Marines, and CEIP Pintor Camarón in Segorbe. Lastly, a Valencian unit will be activated at CEIP San José de Calasanz in Navarrés, which had not been operational due to lack of demand until now.
The Director General of Educational Planning, Ignacio Martínez Arrúe, highlighted that the Department has individually analyzed the situation in each municipality. "In cases where there is sufficient demand and it is viable to create units, requests are being met to align with family demand," he stated.
Martínez explained that the Law on Educational Freedom stipulates that in predominantly Spanish-speaking areas, education is provided in Spanish by default. However, "Valencian units can be established when a minimum student demand is reached," he added. This regulation is in line with Law 4/1983, of November 23, on the Use and Teaching of Valencian, which foresees the progressive incorporation of Valencian in Spanish-speaking territories, considering their sociolinguistic context.