OFICINA DEL ESPAÑOL CLOSER - COMUNIDAD DE MADRID

Today I was chagrined to learn that the Oficina del Español, Comunidad de Madrid, has disappeared for good. After a few years of erratic direction by unqualified and wayward directors, the office's instigator and designer, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, President of the Community, has done away with it. Why? The original idea was, and is, very commendable and makes sense in a Community that leads Spain in many facets: employment, foreign investment, tourism—both foreign and domestic—health services, law and order, liberty, and more. It would have been the leading champion of the Spanish Language if the original idea had been helmed by a qualified person.

Isabel Díaz Ayuso failed to appoint the right person for the right job. The Oficina del Español, as originally framed, would have attracted scholarship, students, events, and, yes, money. The UK knows how to monetize the English Language, while Spain and other Spanish-speaking countries do not seem to be able to equal or emulate its efforts. Unfortunately, she was ill-advised in her choice of leadership capable of bringing the language ship to a successful harbor. A sad day for the Spanish Language and Culture.