Catalan politicians and educational groups expressed outrage on Friday after the government of Mariano Rajoy said it was considering using direct rule to bring the Spanish language back to schools in the autonomous community, igniting a touch paper in the independence crisis.

Secessionists accused Madrid of authoritarian behaviour and inflaming Spanish nationalism with the proposal to use Article 155 to impose changes in Catalan education - an issue that has long been a political and social battleground.

The row erupted after the Spanish Ministry of Education confirmed the plan was being discussed, following a meeting between Mr Rajoy and two Catalan groups that advocate bilingual education.

The proposal could allow parents in the autonomous community to choose greater teaching in Castilian Spanish.

At present, state schools teach almost entirely in Catalan, with Castilian restricted to Spanish literature and language classes amounting to two or three hours per week.