Short history:

Until the end of XXth century, the transmission of bertsolaritza and
the oral culture in general, has been done in a normal way, generation by generation. People thought that it had to be born bertsolari, that the performer must have innate qualities. Nevertheless, in the Eighties, Juanito Dorronsoro and Xabier Amuriza published "Bertsotan I", "Bertsotan II" and "Zu ere bertsolari", respectively, pioneer didactic methods to learn the art of bertsolaritza. It was then that the first bertso-eskolas began to consolidate. It was an independent movement that was happening at the same time in different places from all territory of the Basque Country. Proof of it, there still remain bertso-eskolas like those of Muxika, Almen, Santutxu, Hernani, Algorta, Zumaia, Vitoria... Bertsolaritza left the rural world and came to the urban one; nowadays, bertsolaritza gathers bertsolaris and friends of bertsolaritza from everywhere, although the immense majority of performers comes from the bertso-eskolas.

General information

Meetings for bertso-eskolas:

EIn 1998, the Association of Friends of bertsolaritza of the Basque Country decided to initiate the recompilation of information and material between the bertso-eskolas, with the intention of promote the interchange of information between them. This carried the first meeting for bertso-eskolas in Durango; later, in 1999 a second one was organised in Mondragón, where the projects facing the future were firstly studied, as well as the structure and organization of the bertso-eskolas.
The 2000 became the year of reflection. The Transmission department analysed the trajectory of the bertso-eskolas in the last twenty years, taking as basis all the data gathered on the seven territories, after long surveys. The 27 of October of 2001, 35 teachers and organisers met in Orio; it did not cost to them so much to realise that a general plan for bertso-eskolas was necessary: the curriculum for bertso-eskolas, its organization, formation of the teaching staff, material...
In 2002 the guide of work for the bertso-eskolas ("bertso-eskoletarako LAN-GIDA") appeared; it's the set of different activities, contents and objectives that would have to be settled down in a bertso-eskola. Since then, the work of transmission has been centered in the creation of material and resources, working on programs and their application.

Projects:

a) Network of contact between bertso-eskolas: Relations, exchanges, initiatives ... between bertso-eskolas.
b) Reflection and formation of the professorship: Training and preparation as teachers of not regulated education, as well as the constant reflection on the path and future of the bertso-eskolas.
c) Recompilation of information of the bertso-eskolas: Annual update of the database.
d) Work tools: Create and give to the teachers new ressources.