Languages of Catalonia
According to the official government of Catalonia, Catalan is the second most spoken language of the region, after Spanish (over 35% of Catalans use exclusively Catalan as their first language, while 11% of Catalans use equally both Catalan and Spanish). It is the most spoken language in many comarques of Catalonia, with the exception of the Barcelona metropolitan area (Barcelonès plus surrounding comarques) and Camp de Tarragona. Catalan is a compulsory subject in schools and enjoys equals rights with Spanish throughout Catalonia.
Education in Catalan
After the Spanish transition to democracy in 1978, the Catalan language was restored in the sphere of education in Spain for millions of speakers. The introduction of Catalan varied considerably depending on the territory. In Catalonia and the Balearic Islands a linguistic model was adopted according to which Catalan is the main vehicular language. A radically different model was followed in the Valencian Community in which parents are, in theory, able to choose which language their children are educated in. There also is some privately funded Catalan language education in Roussillon France.