NPLD » PEER LEARNING EVENT “ENSURING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR RMLs: LINGUISTIC MODELS AND STRATEGIES FOR MULTILINGUAL CLASSROOMS”

19-20 NOVEMBER 2026

PEER LEARNING EVENT “ENSURING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE FOR RMLs: LINGUISTIC MODELS AND STRATEGIES FOR MULTILINGUAL CLASSROOMS”

The ECML Peer Learning Event “Ensuring a Sustainable Future for Regional and Minority Languages: Linguistic Models and Strategies for Multilingual Classrooms” will take place in Valencia on 19–20 November 2026. Hosted by the Government of Valencia and organisedwith the collaboration of NPLD, the event will bring together policymakers, education administrators, researchers and community representatives from across Europe. Participants will examine the Valencian language education model and compare policies and practicesfrom other multilingual regions. Through expert contributions, peer discussions and school visits, the event will identify transferable strategies for strengthening regional and minority language teaching in increasingly diverse classrooms.

Thursday 19 November 2026

8:00– 8:50 Registration

09:00 – 09:30 Opening session

Welcome by the Government of Valencia, the ECML, the European Commission, and the NPLD

9:30 – 9:45 Ice breaker

9:45 – 10:45 Keynote address

Valencian context: language policy and practice challenges

Ignacio Martínez Arrue, Director General for Educational Planning, Government of Valencia (Spain)

10:45 – 11:15 COFFEE BREAK

11:15 – 12:20 Quickfire session: comparative territorial perspectives

Paula Kasares Corrales, Sociolinguist & Researcher, Navarre (Spain)
Karin Ihalainen, Project Manager, Association of Municipalities in Southern Finland (Finland)
Sabrina Rasom, Director, Ladin Institute of Culture (Italy)
Gregorio Ferreiro Fente, Educational Policy Advisor, Government of Galicia (Spain)

12:20 – 13:15 Group work and plenary reporting

13:15 – 14:30 LUNK BREAK

14:30 – 15:00 Expert input: How to position the RML in multilingual classrooms

Durk Gorter, University of the Basque Country (Spain/The Netherlands)

15:00 – 15:45 RML education actions: presentations from different contexts

Maëlle Le Floc’h, National Education Inspector for Regional Language and Culture – Finistère Department (France)
Maria Jesús Martínez Peñarroya, Director of the CEFIRE (Valencian Teacher Training Centre) for Languages and Internationalisation (Spain)
Bríd Ní Dhonnchadha, Primary Education Officer, COGG – Council for Gaeltacht and Irish-medium Education (Ireland)