The university community and civil society in the Canary Islands have raised their voices in defense of public universities, expressing concern over decisions that, they claim, weaken the higher education system. The Cabildo de Gran Canaria has firmly supported the demands outlined in a manifesto aimed at protecting the autonomy and progress of academic institutions.
The document emphasizes the importance of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) and the University of La Laguna (ULL) as fundamental pillars for the comprehensive development of the archipelago. It warns that weakening or dismantling these institutions jeopardizes a model of balanced, innovative, and socially just progress for the coming decades.
Canarian public universities are key to our social, economic, cultural, and technological progress.
Among the main concerns highlighted in the manifesto are deficient funding, the recent Law of Social Councils, the new draft Science Law, and the increasing promotion of private universities. These actions, according to the signatories, constitute a deliberate strategy to weaken public universities.
Economic strangulation is a critical point, as the ULPGC has faced insufficient funding, with the situation worsening over the past two years. It is noted that the Canary Islands allocate less than 0.7% of their GDP to higher education, a figure below the national and European averages, impacting staff precariousness and basic infrastructure.
The manifesto also criticizes the Law of Social Councils, approved without the consensus of university governing bodies, and the draft Science Law, which is being processed without consulting universities, despite them concentrating over 95% of the archipelago's research. Furthermore, it denounces the disproportionate approval of new degrees for private universities compared to public ones, which could lead to social selection based on economic capacity.
“"This attitude of ignoring our public universities, unfortunately, is not new in the Canary Islands; it's a recurring issue."
The citizen initiative seeks a new pact for higher education in the Canary Islands, including stable public funding, staff stabilization, improved student employability, visibility of generated knowledge, and promotion of access for all youth, especially those with fewer resources. The Cabildo de Gran Canaria reaffirms its commitment to a quality and accessible public university system, recalling the social mobilization that led to the creation of the ULPGC 40 years ago.
