Basque Government

In 1980, the first democratically elected government of the Basque Autonomous Community in the Basque Country created the Department of Education, Universities and Research.

Accountable to the Education Department, and within the Director ate for Educational Innovation, there exists the Basque Language Service, responsible for a number of programmes directed at facilitating the use and spread of the Basque language (co-official with Spanish in the region since 1982) in the education system. The service is responsible, amongst other things, for in-service retraining of teachers so they can work through the medium of Basque, for improving their everyday and professional competence in the Basque language, for awarding grants aimed at creating Basque language teaching materials and, in general, for promoting the use of the Basque language within the school system.

In addition, since 1982, the Basque Language Service manages our international general Basque language examination:

Euskararen Gaitasun Agiria (EGA): C1 level in the Common European Framework.

Besides EGA, the Basque Language Service also manages other Basque language examinations for teachers. In addition, the Official Schools of Languages and their examinations are also monitored by the Department of Education.

The EGA examination is held twice a year: the first one from March to June and the second one from September to November. Examinations take place in the three provinces at the same time. Once the examinations have been convened, candidates can register within two deadlines: by late January for the first call, and by early July for the second call. Results are announced to candidates individually by means of Internet in the days after the oral examination, and diplomas are available immediately after finalising the appeal procedure.

You can get more information about EGA on the following web site : www.hezkuntza.net

For further information regarding the EGA examination, you can also write or e-mail to the address below:

Jon-Simon Gartzia
Eusko Jaurlaritza
Hezkuntza, Unibertsitate eta Ikerketa Saila
Euskara Zerbitzua
Donostia kalea 1
01010 VITORIA-GASTEIZ
Basque C., Spain

E-mail johnsimon@gartzia.com
Internet www.euskadi.net