Ikastola

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An Ikastola (plural Ikastolak) is a type of school in the Basque Country, Navarre and (to a much lesser extent), the French Basque Country in which students are taught either entirely or predominantly in the Basque language.

[edit] History

Although spoken more widely than in later times, there was very little schooling undertaken in Basque before the early twentieth century revival in Basque nationalism. The first official ikastola was opened in 1914, and the movement to transfer the medium of education in the Basque Country from Spanish to Basque became widespread. Following the Republican defeat in the Spanish Civil War, the public use of Basque was illegalised, and all educational institutions were obliged to teach entirely in Spanish, to the complete neglect of Basque. There are, however, isolated examples of ikastolak which clandestinely continued to teach in Basque. With the return of democracy following the death of Franco in 1979, large degrees of autonomy were given to the Basque Country and Navarre, and ikastolak sprang up all over the Basque-speaking parts of northern Spain. In the present day, the majority of schoolchildren in the Basque Country and northern Navarre attend ikastolak.