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Zornotzako Barnetegia - History

Zornotzako Barnetegia celebrated 30 years devoted to the teaching of Euskera to adults in May 2022. Since the beginning, the center is managed by the Aurten Bai Foundation. 

The celebration was attended by companions of this long journey, the representatives of HABE and the Basque Governments from the current day and the initial period, as well as representatives from the world of Euskera with whom we have shared projects and concerns and the teachers who have worked with us in the teaching and diffusion of our language, together with the students, without whom the existence of this Zornotzako Barnetegia would make no sense. To all of them, our sincere gratitude and congratulations.

Since its beginnings in 1992, the centre has welcomed countless students wishing to learn Euskera, with more than 20,000 registrations on our books. Some of these students have come via specific programmes of the Administration (IRALE, Osakidetza, Justice, IVAP, special Provincial Council programmes, etc.) and others thanks to the Euskera-learning programmes of private companies, while many others have done so independently. Moreover, we should mention the foreign students who, throughout these decades, have studied with us. Some of them are students of the different Euskara assistantships financed by the Basque Government in universities throughout the world and, therefore, with grants awarded by the Etxepare Institute and other institutions.

Our students choose us not only because we are a centre RECOGNISED by HABE but also because we provide them with a totally Euskera environment 24 hours a day, thereby assuming the learning-use of Euskera as something routine. All the above, added to quality teaching, contributes to the obtaining of good academic results.

Aurten Bai and Zornotzako Barnetegia - Projects

  • From 1986 to 1990, Literacy Campaigns in Bizkaia: funded by the Provincial Council of Bizkaia, they took place in most of the towns in the territory, and the number of people who took part in each school course totalled over 1,000.
  • In 1990 an agreement was signed with the Basque Government to organize the winter barnetegi in Argentina for three years. In 1993 twenty Argentine students received grants to study at the Zornotzako Barnetegia. On their return to Argentina, these students were responsible for giving Euskara classes at the network of Argentine Basque Centres, work that still takes place today.
  • From 1990 to 1992, LETRAKIT Campaign: This was a travelling exhibition, funded by Euskaltzaindia, whose objective was to increase awareness of Basque literature.
  • From 1991 to 2004, Euskara Assistantship at the Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan (Poland), funded by the Provincial Council of Bizkaia.
  • From 1991 to 2010, KLASIKOAK: A collection which includes the translations to Euskara of the classics of universal literature. Work carried out in collaboration with the Euskara Institute of the UPV-EHU and funded by the BBVA Foundation.
  • From 1994 to 1997, LARRAMENDI: A computer programme for the management of teaching materials and programming for the teaching of Euskara. The programme offers materials classified by topics and linguistic skills, and also allows users to design their own programming. Work carried out in collaboration with the Euskaltegi Ulibarri and EITB.
  • From 1995 to 2000, HEZINET: A project for the creation of telematic tools for the teaching of Euskara. Carried out in collaboration with the Faculty of Computer Science of the UPV-EHU, HABE and the BASS company.
  • From 2000 to 2010, member of EBLUL, a European organization which grouped together the minority languages and linguistic minorities of the whole European Union. This institution, at the request of the Foundation, repeatedly denounced the unfavourable treatment given to Euskera by the Government of Navarre. We have participated in the reports drawn up every three years by the European Council, analyzing and giving our opinion on the situation of Euskara in the Basque Country. Following the disappearance of EBLUL, the Aurten Bai Foundation became part of the NPLD (European Network to Promote Linguistic Diversity).
  • From 1999 to 2001, CIBERBIBLIO: A virtual library of all the interactive programmes published in Euskal Herria until then. A project carried out in collaboration with the Faculty of Computer Science of the UPV-EHU.
  • From 2004 to 2006, HATOR: An internet portal completely in Euskara aimed at young people and carried out in collaboration with the El Correo newspaper.
  • From 2000 to 2007, BOGA: programme for the self-learning of Euskara via internet. It is currently the only programme that HABE provides for all euskaltegis as a recognised online Euskara course, and so it is the one offered by most Euskaltegis.
  • From 2007 to 2010, sponsor of Sareko Euskal Gramatika: an online Euskara grammar, developed by the Euskara Institute of the UPV-EHU together with the Ministry of Science and Innovation of the Spanish Government.
  • 2010. DENDAKETAN - Basque language course aimed, above all, at business professionals. Designed as a didactic game.
  • 2014-2022. From 2014 to 2022, an agreement with ETXEPARE has been renewed annually. Thanks to this agreement, Basque studies students from Etxepare's network around the world can take courses at Zornotzako Barnetegia.
  • 2018. Agreement with GARABIDE. The aim of this agreement is to reinforce the dynamics of internships that are being developed within the process of recovering Mapuzugun, the language of the Mapuche. 
  • 2018-2019. ESKOLA FUTURA. Students from the universities of New Aquitaine will be able to receive intensive training at the Zornotzako Barnetegia in order to become Basque teachers in the future.
  • February 2019. WORLD CAFE. The Aurten Bai Foundation has organised a World Cafe under the title "Digital learning environment: trends, developments and priorities. 
  • November 2020. Agreement with AZTARNA. Sponsorship agreement for the publication of the symphonic-choral oratorio "Hesia urraturik: Xabier Lete in memoriam". 
  • December 2020. Agreement with the Basque Academy of Law - Zuzenbidearen Euskal Akademia AVD-ZEA. Collaboration agreement for the dissemination of legal Basque vocabulary and forms of expression.
  • April 2022. Caritas Euskadi and the Aurten Bai Foundation sign an agreement with the aim of facilitating the learning of Basque for migrants and people without resources or at risk of exclusion.
  • 2020-2022. Digitisation and online launch of the Resurrección María de Azkue Trilingual Dictionary.
  • 2021-2022. Cross-border project in collaboration with the entity Jakinola Maison des Langues for the didactisation of the book Miñan by Amets Arzallus at B1 level of Basque.
  • 2021-2023 Creation of a series of apps for learning Basque for Andorid and iOS mobiles: BOGA1, BOGA2, Euskaltzaindiaren Arauak.