MERCATOR :: Butlleti 65: Estatut Comunitat Valenciana (2006)

Publicacions / Publications > Butlletí / Bulletin

[Versió no oficial en anglès / Unofficial version in English]

PROPOSED REGIONAL LAW COVERING THE TEACHING OF THE FRIULIAN LANGUAGE IN SCHOOLS

ARTICLE 1
Purpose

1. The Autonomous Region Friuli-Venezia Giulia recognises the Friulian language as an irreplaceable cultural heritage of its territory and considers that schools represent an essential tool for its preservation and dissemination. It also considers that language education, using historical European languages, constitutes a fundamental educational choice and that the inclusion of Friulian in the teaching and advancement of multilingualism provides a good opportunity for its promotion.

2. In as far as the principles referred to in Paragraph 1 above are concerned, the Region encourages the promotion and protection of the Friulian language through teaching in schools, as provided for in Articles 4 and 5 of Law 482 of 15 December 1999 (regulations regarding the protection of historical linguistic minorities) and in Article 1, Paragraph 2 of Legislative Decree 223 of 12 September 2002 (executive regulations of the special statute of the Friuli-Venezia Giulia Region referring to the transfer of functions related to the protection of the language and culture of the historical linguistic minorities in the region).

3. With this aim, the Regional Administration, while respecting schools’ autonomy, establishes the Friulian language as part of the educational curriculum, promotes coordination between educational institutes through the establishment of objectives, methods and standard procedures for the teaching of the Friulian language; it is also responsible for training and refresher courses for teachers and, through the Permanent Commission for the Teaching of the Friulian Language, in agreement with the A.R.Le.F. (the Regional Agency for the Friulian language) and the (the Regional Education Office), the C.S.A. (Administrative Service Centres) and the University of Udine, participates in the execution of the programmes planned by educational institutes for the teaching of the Friulian language in the area of the teaching and advancement of multilingualism, and is responsible for the associated financing costs.

ARTICLE 2
Territorial Scope

1. The present Law is applicable within the territorial limits and sub-municipalities as set out in Article 3 of Law 482/1999.

ARTICLE 3
Permanent Commission for the Teaching of the Friulian Language in Schools

1. The “Permanent Commission for the Teaching of the Friulian Language in Schools” hereinafter called the “Commission” is established within the “Department for Linguistic, Cultural and Co-regional Identities Abroad”.
2. The Commission is the organ appointed by the Region to carry out the activities related to the execution of the present law, with special regard to:
a) the introduction of proposed executive regulations for the enactment of the present law;
b) the definition of entrance requirements, criteria and methods used to set the professional qualifying examination, and the appointment of the examination commission;
c) consideration of the Tabele professionâl dai insegnants di furlan (Register of Friulian Teachers) as referred to in Article 4;
d) analysis of documents related to the multi-annual programme for educational institutes, as provided for in Article 11;
e) preparation of any modules required for the application of the present law;
f) checking the status of execution of the present law.

3. The Commission will advise the Regional Executive periodically and the Regional Council annually of progress on the present law, and will put forward proposals to simplify the process and to solve any problems that may arise.

4. The Commission is made up of:
a) two members appointed by the Regional Education Office;
b) two members appointed by the University of Udine;
c) three members appointed by the A.R.Le.F.

5. The Commission will be appointed by decree of the President of the Region, will be re-appointed every five years and will continue to be responsible for carrying out the functions referred to in the present law until such time as it may be amended.
6. The members of the Commission are entitled to reimbursement of their expenses, as established in the decree referred to in Paragraph 4.
7. The Commission’s secretarial functions will be carried out by the staff of the “Department for Linguistic, Cultural and Co-regional Identities Abroad”.
8. The Commission will include two experts appointed by private law contract in order to undertake the educational activities related to the functions listed in Paragraph 23.

ARTICLE 4
Friulian Language Teachers

1. Teaching the Friulian language will be carried out by specialised and specialist teachers, registered in the Tabele professionâl dai insegnants di furlan (Register of Friulian Teachers) which is kept at the “Department for Linguistic, Cultural and Co-regional Identities Abroad”.

2. Within the context of the present law, “specialist teacher” is taken to mean a graduate in languages, literature or pedagogy, or a teacher working in nursery, primary or junior high schools who can demonstrate a knowledge of the techniques of multilingualism, mastery of the Friulian language, both written and spoken, and who is familiar with reading and writing standardisation.

3. Within the context of the present law, “specialised teacher” is taken to mean a graduate or teacher of any discipline working in nursery, primary or junior high schools who can demonstrate the ability to communicate in both oral and written form in the Friulian language in common use and who has a knowledge of the specific vocabulary of his or her own discipline, according to the standardisation criteria laid down by the “Regional Observatory for the Friulian Language and Culture”.

4. Teachers working as “specialist teachers” or “specialised teachers” will be employed under a private law contract, including those teaching at educational institutes, in accordance with the methods established by the executive regulation of the present law, as provided for in the educational sector’s current National Collective Labour Contract (CCNL) and in the appropriate Commercial Contracts.

ARTICLE 5
Professional Qualifying Examination and Training for Teachers of the Friulian language

1. Anyone who has passed the professional qualifying examination may register with the Tabele professionâl dai insegnants di furlan (Register of Friulian Teachers).

2. There will be an official announcement of the examination by means of a notification issued by the Commission, which will determine the entrance requirements, criteria and methods used to set it, and in which it will appoint the examination commission.

3. In order to help candidates pass the professional qualifying examination, the Region entrusts the University of Udine with the task of organising special courses, and will reimburse it for the corresponding costs: in this regard, the Region will promote the setting up of agreements with the University of Udine to establish the form and length of the training courses.

4. In the executive regulation of the present law, the Regional Executive will determine the requirements and qualifications needed to participate in the courses, the number of hours involved and the essential points to be included in the teaching programmes for the professional qualifying examination courses.

5. Participation in the training courses will not be compulsory in order to sit the professional qualifying examination.

ARTICLE 6
Establishment of One Hour of Friulian Language in the Curriculum

1. The Region guarantees students of primary and junior high schools the opportunity to learn the Friulian language in accordance with methods and objectives of multilingualism established in the Common European Framework for Languages: Learning, Teaching, Assessment, published in 2001 by the Council of Europe and in 2004 in the document prepared by the “Regional Observatory for the Friulian Language and Culture”: Indicazions pe programazion didatiche curicolâr daûr de leç 482/99 (Instructions for the didactic-curricular programme according to Law 482/99).

2. The Region is thus introducing, in accordance with Article 4 of Law 482/1999, one hour of Friulian language tuition per week throughout the school year in all primary schools located within the municipalities as referred to in Article 2, taking into account that part of the regional curriculum that relates to them by virtue of Article 2, Paragraph 1, Letter l) of the Law of 28 March 2003, nº 53 (Government powers to define general provisions on education and expected minimum levels of performance in education and in vocational training). This tuition, which forms part of the compulsory element of the school curriculum, is understood to be a specific occasion for learning, practising and reflecting on the Friulian language from the standpoint of a multilingual education and, as such, differs from generic teaching of Friulian culture.

3. Teaching of the Friulian language, according to the provisions of the present Article, is to be undertaken by specialist teachers as referred to in Article 4, Paragraph 2.

4. The level of learning achieved in the Friulian language is to be assessed and periodically reported to the student’s family, together with the other subjects in the curriculum, on the student’s report card.

ARTICLE 7
Learning the Friulian Language through the Teaching of Other Subjects

1. The Region will promote the learning of the Friulian language in primary and junior high schools by making practical use of it while teaching at least four other subjects in the curriculum, of which one will be in the field of languages and another in the field of science.

2. Learning the Friulian language while studying a subject in the field of languages will be accomplished by using multilingual teaching techniques, for one hour per week and in the presence of a specialist teacher.

3. Teaching the Friulian language while studying other subjects, amongst which one will be in the field of science, will take place for a minimum of one third of the total hours devoted to that discipline in a year and, in all cases, within complete didactic units that have been finished.

4. Teaching the Friulian language, in accordance with the methods referred to in Paragraph 3, may be undertaken directly by the teacher of the subject or that part of the curriculum, provided he or she is specialised in teaching the Friulian language, or otherwise in the presence of another specialised teacher.

ARTICLE 8
Teaching the Friulian Language in Nursery Schools

1. The Region will promote the learning of the Friulian language in nursery schools (both public and private) through its practical use in the area of developing didactic, play and recreational activities.

2. Teaching the Friulian language, in accordance with Paragraph 1, will take place during at least one third of the total hours in a year and may be undertaken directly by the teacher, provided he or she is specialised in teaching the Friulian language, or otherwise in the presence of another specialised teacher.

ARTICLE 9
Reimbursement of Expenses related to the Teaching of the Friulian Language

1. The Region is entirely responsible for those expenses incurred by educational institutes in the teaching of the Friulian language, according to the rules referred to in Articles 6, 7 y 8.
2. The Regional Administration will deal with the reimbursement of expenses incurred by educational institutes in respect of teaching activities undertaken by specialist and specialised teachers, provided that the latter work in the presence of the teacher of the curricular subject.
3. The Regional Administration also agrees to reimburse expenses incurred in the preparation of the teaching activity in the case of specialised teachers who use the Friulian language during the hours devoted to their own subject, according to the rules referred to in Article 6.

ARTICLE 10
Pluriannual Programme for the Teaching of the Friulian language

1.Within the respective Plans of Formative Offer (P.O.F.), the educational institutes plan the entire school curriculum and, in accordance with the instructions on methods and objectives contained in the document prepared by the “Regional Observatory for the Friulian Language and Culture”, Indicazions pe programazion didatiche curicolâr daûr de leç 482/99 (Instructions for the didactic-curricular programme according to Law 482/99), establish learning objectives for the various classes by reference to the final level of learning to be attained, taking the standard of knowledge of the Friulian language to be equivalent to the other languages taught within the school.

2. Thus each school prepares its own pluriannual Plan for the teaching of the Friulian language in which, in accordance with the programme optimisation criteria, and taking account of the modules established by the Commission, and with a project that provides for the successful completion of the end of the school cycle for each class, it establishes:
a) a step-by-step progression in the learning of the Friulian language until reaching the top level;
b) the number of hours to be devoted to teaching the Friulian language in accordance with Articles 6 and 7;
c) the subjects in the curriculum in which teaching the Friulian language will take place in accordance with Article 7, and the possible number of hours to be spent in the presence of another specialised teacher;
d) the number of specialist and specialised teachers needed to carry out the teaching of the Friulian language as determined under letters b), c) and d) above;
e) the specialist and specialised teachers already present on the staff of the educational institute.

ARTICLE 11
Application of the Pluriannual Programme

1. The Commission will examine the pluriannual Plans prepared by the schools in accordance with the P.O.F., will determine staff needs in order to carry out the pluriannual Plans, will establish the quantity of the resources required and will report the relevant data to the Regional Executive and the Regional Education Office.

2. The Regional Executive will establish what resources are available and will transfer the funds required to set the teaching of the Friulian language in motion.

3. The methods and time frames for the application of the procedures referred to in Paragraphs 1 and 2, as well as the methods used to assign duties to specialist and specialised teachers by drawing their names from the lists of the Tabele professionâl dai insegnants di furlan (Register of Friulian Teachers), will be established by the Regional Executive, at the suggestion of the Commission, and in agreement with the Regional Education Office, in accordance with the executive regulation of the present law and respect for the autonomy of educational institutions referred to in the Decree of the President of the Republic (D.P.R.) nº 275 of 8 March 1999, (rules setting out the norms pertaining to the autonomy of educational institutions, in accordance with Article 21 of Law nº 59 of 15 March 1997).

ARTICLE 12
Annual Programme for the Teaching of the Friulian language

1. At the beginning of each academic year, according to the modules established by the Commission, each institute will draw up the annual Plan for the teaching of the Friulian language, showing in detail how the forecasts will be achieved and how the objectives of the pluriannual Plan will be met, making special reference to the current school year.
2. The educational institutes will incorporate the P.O.F. into the relevant instructions contained in the annual Plan for the teaching of the Friulian language.

ARTICLE 13
Executive Regulation

1. The Regional Executive will adopt the executive regulation within a period of 120 days from enactment of the present law.
2. With the exception of the provisions of Article 11 Paragraph 3, the Regional Executive will adopt the executive regulation at the suggestion of the Commission, and after consulting the Regional Education Office.

ARTICLE 14
Provisional Regulation

1. When the law first comes into force during the first three years following the enactment of the present law, the Commission referred to in Article 3 is to be made up of members of the “Commission for Didactic Objectives” appointed by the A.R.Le.F., in order to guarantee appropriate and necessary continuity in its guidance function in support of the teaching and organisational programmes of the educational institutions.

ARTICLE 15
Budgetary Regulation

1. For the purposes outlined in Article 5 Paragraph 3, total expenditure of … euros is authorised, subdivided into amounts of … euros for each of the years … , chargeable to the special budgetary item … … … of the pluriannual expenditure budget for the years … … and for the year …, with reference to Chapter … (…), a new provision in the technical document attached to the above-mentioned budgets.

2. For the purposes outlined in Article 9, total expenditure of … euros is authorised, subdivided into amounts of … euros for each of the years … , chargeable to the special budgetary item … … … of the pluriannual expenditure budget for the years … … and for the year …, with reference to Chapter … (…), a new provision in the technical document attached to the above-mentioned budgets.