The Canary Islands Education Council (CEC) has presented its annual report on the activities planned by the Department of Education for the 2026-27 academic year. This 128-page document analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the education system in the islands. While it positively assesses initiatives such as the introduction of free textbooks, it considers chronic underfunding to be a persistent problem.
The CEC's main demand, reiterated year after year, is the non-compliance with the Canary Islands Education Law, which stipulates allocating 5% of GDP to education. The council emphasizes that this investment is the "only way" to face the system's challenges and implement the Department's planned programs. They even propose increasing this percentage to 5.5% to compensate for previously unmet investment goals, as the 2014 law's objective of reaching this threshold by 2022 has not been met.
Regarding early childhood education (0-3 years), the council applauds the strategic goal of increasing access and creating financial aid. However, it insists on the need to move from "intentions" to a public, stable, and balanced system, accelerating public provision by 2027, especially in rural areas. They call for a stable regulatory framework that guarantees sustained public funding and full recognition of this stage, considering public funding for private centers as "exceptional" and not an expansion of agreements.
The report also demands increased aid for vulnerable families without public school places and guarantees the continuity of municipal nursery schools, advocating for their gradual integration into the Department of Education. The importance of early education for family work-life balance and job stability, particularly for mothers, is highlighted.
Concerning Vocational Training (FP), the CEC highlights the planned boost for the next academic year with initiatives in innovation and applied research projects in Equality and Affective-Sexual Education. Nevertheless, it criticizes the lack of continuity in some actions, leaving strategic objectives without substance, and notes that 40% of projects have an end date before the course begins. It also calls for reducing bureaucracy and establishing semi-annual monitoring reports.
Finally, the council proposes improvements for the attention of students with specific educational support needs (NEAE). They suggest that each NEAE student should count as two when calculating class ratios, lowering these ratios in classrooms with a high concentration of NEAE students, and reinforcing specialized staff (PT, AL, educational assistants). They propose integrating other professional profiles such as educators and social workers, and promoting a stable School Nursing model. They also request reduced working hours for tutors and specialists, and adapted extracurricular activities.
