Point 3.4 of the instructions from the Canary Islands Government's Ministry of Education has generated strong controversy. This point states that 'the authorization of conferences, talks, meetings, or events carried out by individuals, groups, organizations, or collectives characterized by a specific ideological option that is not neutral and does not respect fundamental rights and public liberties recognized in our Constitution will not be permitted in school spaces and facilities'.
Among the signatories of the critical manifesto are various platforms and associations such as the 8M Tenerife Feminist Platform, the Tenerife Forum Against Gender Violence, the Women in Encounter Feminist Collective, the Domitila Hernández Association, the Mercedes Machado Feminist Association, the Canary Association of Students (ACE), the Union of Education Workers of the Canary Islands (STEC), and the Canaria Foundation for Critical Thinking La Colectiva. Also joining are the Canaria Foundation Tamaimos and several LGBTI collective entities such as Diversas, Aperttura, Libertrans, Equidades, Caminar Intersex, Iris, and the State LGTBI+ Federation.
The signatories argue that the wording of these instructions presents 'imprecision' that could be used 'as the perfect excuse for the establishment of clear ideological censorship in the form of a covert parental pin'. They fear this will prevent publicly funded educational centers from including specific training linked to the defense of vulnerable individuals and groups, deeming it outside of ideological neutrality.
They consider it 'essential that the educational content of various subjects be reinforced with complementary activities that promote the transmission of values linked to equality, diversity, and human rights', aspects that, according to them, could be targeted or disallowed by this ambiguous instruction.
“"We demand from the Ministry of Education of the Canary Islands Government an express clarification to indicate that all complementary activities linked to the fundamental right to equality and non-discrimination based on any personal or social condition or circumstance will not be subject to prior censorship under this clause, thus excluding them from those that constitute a breach of ideological neutrality."
In their opinion, 'education in the Canary Islands cannot be subject to the possibility of censorship for ideological reasons derived from ambiguous instructions issued by the Ministry of Education'.
