Many thanks to the police inspector who recently dared call the “language students”, I quote, “trash”. It is about time somebody opened the eyes of all those who want to be blind for all sorts of reasons.

What can be said about a country that condones with such organised large-scale fraud? The Spanish government is sponsoring language courses, money pocketed by the schools, many of which do not seem to care whether the students attend the lessons, learn something or just make a nuisance of themselves, while littering the country, disturbing the surroundings and acting as if they had all the right to do so.

But then they do… since the people who rent the flats to them consider it as perfectly normal that they make a noise till 5 a.m., that they scream, jump into pools till 4 a.m., that they litter the houses, streets, etc… because they are on holiday. What does such an attitude reflect? It simply means that their money is preferable to the money from decent people who live normally, who are clean and care about the surroundings.

I know that every year the same problem comes up but it is the first time that somebody has actually called a spade a spade. The policy of closing one’s eyes to reality does not pay in the long run because this “trash” is driving away other holidaymakers who could enjoy the country or benefit from proper language lessons because they want to learn. What can be thought of “schools” organising nights out on the beach and all sorts of other nightly activities? Has anybody ever been able to learn a language without attending classes, without studying, without practising? Because the students speak their own languages (or would it be more appropriate to say shout?) and think they are alone in this world.

Maybe they were told they were going to another planet, just centred around them and made for them, and that their government was glad to send them on a sponsored holiday. (Doesn’t that remind a few people of certain regimes?) I am sure the taxpayers would be delighted to hear what their contributions are being used for.

Why don’t things change from one year to another? Obviously honesty does not come into it and short-term windfalls are more important than long-term ones, more important than the image a country is sending out, more important than high standards …

Once again it feels good to read that there are people who walk around with their eyes open and speak the truth. Thank you to all those people who have to put up with these so-called students.