Bieito Lobeira Domínguez, a student at the National Distance Education University (UNED), received a low grade on an exam due to writing his answers in Galician instead of Spanish. Despite excelling in previous assessments, he was shocked to discover that his exam on Sociological Theory was not corrected because he wrote in Galician. Lobeira has been communicating in Galician with his professors throughout the course and believes that there is still linguistic conflict and discrimination in academia. Despite facing challenges, he remains determined to continue taking exams in Galician.
Lobeira, a member of the Galician nationalist party BNG, has filed a complaint with the UNED rector and the BNG has raised the issue in Congress. The BNG and A Mesa pola Normalización Lingüística have criticized similar situations in the past, claiming that the UNED only recognizes Spanish and English as the official languages for its students. Lobeira believes that he has the right to use his mother tongue in exams and is demanding a democratic solution to this language issue within the institution.
A spokesperson for the UNED defended the institution’s position, stating that all evaluations and courses are conducted in Spanish, as outlined in the institution’s implementation memos approved by the ANECA. However, they also acknowledge that the UNED promotes the use of all official languages of Spain and offers courses in Catalan, Galician, and Basque. The institution is working to provide website content in these languages as well. Despite this, Lobeira insists that the exam guidelines do not specify that evaluations must be in Spanish.
The BNG has cited the UNED’s statutes, which emphasize the institution’s commitment to supporting the languages and cultures of Spain, including collaborating with regional administrations to promote multilingualism. The statutes also outline the UNED’s goal to incorporate official languages into its activities and publications. While the UNED has referenced a court decision validating the use of Spanish in professional exams, Lobeira and the BNG argue that this decision is unrelated to the issue of language choice in educational assessments.
Overall, the conflict between Lobeira and the UNED highlights the ongoing tension surrounding language choice in academic settings. While the institution maintains a Spanish-only policy for evaluations, some argue that this approach hinders linguistic diversity and discriminates against students who wish to use their mother tongue in exams. The case has sparked debate within the UNED and among policymakers, with calls for a more inclusive and democratic approach to language use in education.
