Overview
- A Department of Education report presented in early September concludes the Basque education system shows an overall insufficient academic level and that roughly 75% of students finish compulsory schooling without the euskera level the 2023 law requires.
- The report highlights that the Basque section of the university entrance exam produced serious problems in its last edition and that PAU grading will be tightened for upcoming administrations, increasing the stakes for students with weak Basque skills.
- Public schools carry a heavy integration burden, absorbing about 7,000 pupils who join after the school year starts, most of whom are of foreign origin, a dynamic the report links to classroom composition and language exposure.
- Data in the report show students who sit exams in their mother tongue—whether Basque or Spanish—obtain better grades, a pattern that raises equity concerns for late‑entry learners and for implementing a one‑size‑fits‑all language requirement.
- Regional education leaders, including minister Begoña Pedrosa, say systemic change will take time and the department is discussing incremental corrective measures focused on teaching, assessment design, and aligning legal targets with sociolinguistic realities.