Redaccion
The rectors of the universities of La Laguna, Francisco García, and Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Lluís Serra Majem, held a working meeting on Wednesday with their management teams to "advance" in the coordination of the university system in the archipelago. Among the conclusions of the meeting, the imminent creation of an association representing the interests of both institutions stood out.
The meeting, held at the Central Building of the ULL, was attended by the President of the Government, Fernando Clavijo, and the regional councilor Migdalia Machín, along with their deputy and general directors. The working session arose in response to a "situation of certain stagnation or deceleration" in the processes to strengthen the institutions, as reported by the University of La Laguna in a statement.
They have agreed on the goal of holding this meeting more frequently to address pending issues, including the financing instrument, which "cannot wait any longer." "We are one of the few communities without a medium-term financial framework," both García and Serra argued in the statement.
They have also recalled that the organic law speaks of basic financing, which meets the basic needs of the institutions, another based on the singularities of each university, and a third linked to the fulfillment of objectives. "Therefore, that basic layer of the budget is non-negotiable, to then address the other two," they added.
They emphasize that this financial instrument would allow, for example, negotiating service contracts more efficiently. "We cannot continue to think year by year. To attract talent, we need specific long-term programs," they warned.
The purpose of the meeting was also to improve the fluidity of some processes. "We have experienced many delays in the processing of teaching positions, which affects the management of our degrees. There are five private universities, and a sixth one is reportedly on the way, leading to a greater stagnation in the system," they argued.
The periodic meetings between the management teams of the two public universities in the Canary Islands have been joined by the councilor of the area, Migdalia Machín, along with several members of her team to address other issues of utmost relevance for the higher education system in the archipelago: the science law, social council law, or talent recruitment programs.
CREATION OF AN ASSOCIATION
"We are working on the creation of a future association of public universities in the Canary Islands," the rectors have announced. The goal is to have "a single voice" against the Government and to make use of a formula that has been successful in other autonomous communities. "We are a community of more than 40,000 people between the two universities, and the main talent factor for the future of the Canary Islands."
In this way, the idea is for the association not only to defend the interests of public universities against third parties but also to be the appropriate forum to make prospective assessments of new degrees and initiatives from the centers. The governing councils of each university will soon have to approve its creation for implementation.
Regarding the draft law of science, it has been remembered that a letter was sent to Parliament showing the universities’ displeasure for not being consulted in the preparation of this text, as the higher education institutions carry out 95% of the science in the Canary Islands.
The rectors have agreed that the region should have a more proactive attitude in this area. "All doctoral theses are defended in the public universities of the Canary Islands, as well as scientific production. We miss not being taken into account. There is still time, from a constructive perspective, to introduce new content," they stated.
The Councilor for Universities, Science, Innovation, and Culture, Migdalia Machín, has praised the good relationship between the two rector teams, "something that was not always the case." "We want assertive universities, with critical thinking," Machín said, showing her willingness to collaborate with higher education institutions.
The rector of the ULPGC pointed out that both teams want to improve the competitiveness of their organizations, for which he considered it necessary to have an appropriate financial instrument and, furthermore, to better adapt to the requirements of the LOSU.
In the same vein, his counterpart at the ULL, Francisco García, noted that "there cannot be a budget in the next fiscal year without the implementation of the program contract."
For his part, the President of the Government of the Canary Islands, Fernando Clavijo, who attended the beginning of the session, also agreed that this financial framework is essential for universities. "We will be demanding with it," he anticipated.
"A stable financing is necessary, but it must respond to quality criteria and the prioritization of objectives," Clavijo added, also valuing "the good tone" reflecting the relationship between the two universities and the "relevance" of this three-way meeting to improve coordination in the university system and the achievement of common goals.
