A total of 250 families from Tenerife wait for the payment of scholarships for Ministry of Education corresponding to the course that has just ended. They were denied despite the fact that, they say, they presented all the documentation in a timely manner. Most are grants for Specific Educational Support Needs (NEAE) that are intended for special people, especially children. Those affected point out that the Ministry of Education of the Government of the Canary Islands, which must process the documentation by law, “did not do so due to a computer error and was not registered in Madrid.” The area of regional government argues that “review continues” and that “scholarships will be paid if requirements are met.” “The two subscriptions made in June show it,” Education details.
“We have not received the aid from the Ministry for the 2021-2022 academic year due to the negligence and carelessness of the Ministry of Education when processing the scholarships.” This is how forceful Alexandra Bormann, spokesperson for the affected Tenerife families, shows. Many beneficiaries have been denied this aid supposedly, as they claim, due to a problem in the processing of the documentation produced in the Ministry of Education. This administration is required by law to act as an intermediary between applicants and the Ministry.
The problem denounced by the victims occurs exclusively in Tenerife
Computer error.
The situation arises after the presentation of the scholarship application to the Ministry. This requests, in the correction period, additional documentation. The Ministry of Education is the body that must transfer it but, according to the version of the families, “due to an error, specifically a problem with the computer application” it never reached the Ministry of Education. Consequence: scholarship requests are rejected, despite the fact that, in many cases, families have already paid the costs of their children’s education.
Alexandra explains that “in Tenerifewhere the problem occurs exclusively, 4,284 requests were processed; of them, 3,126 were approved and 1,122 denied. The calculations point to some 800 families affected, discounting those that did not really meet the requirements and each year they represent around 30%. But, adds the spokeswoman, “because of the WhatsApp group that we form and other references, we have counted 250.”
Alexandra explains the process: “We submit applications between August and September 2021. The second step is the review and submission to Madrid, and the third is the period for claims, notification and entry, if applicable. We presented the documentation in a timely manner but it was never registered».
Months go by and the calls to the Ministry begin: «I found out by phone on March 10, and they notified me on the 23rd, that my daughter’s scholarship was definitively denied for not having submitted the documentation in a timely manner when I have the registration (show a certified document at the Post Office)».
Bormann emphasizes: “The deadline for the reversal appeal was from March 25 to April 23. We presented it and we should not have done it because it was not our mistake. It can take up to two years to resolve. In addition, he points out, “it is most likely that they will be denied because, although we present the documentation in a timely manner, it does not appear there. We would have to go to the Contentious-Administrative, the judicial route, but that has a high cost that most of us cannot afford.
Special Kids.
The problem is aggravated in the case of scholarships for students with special needs, the majority, since they are used to pay for therapies that parents have previously paid for until public money arrives. Alexandra has two daughters. Little Anahí, 10 years old, with autism, needs these therapies and being able to pay them depends on the scholarship. And they’re not exactly cheap. “We are talking about thousands of euros because the monthly minimum with just a couple of sessions ranges between 220 and 350.” The cabinet to which the girl goes has endured until now, but she «she can no longer». She makes it clear: “If I don’t receive the aid money, it’s impossible to pay, even though my daughter has a diagnosed disability and she is a big dependent. Day to day is already complicated with therapy, imagine without it».
negative precedent.
Another added problem is that of scholarships for the next course because “we have the precedent of this denial like a sword of Damocles.” Alexandra points out that «the call for special scholarships was opened this year earlier than ever, in May, when it is usually in August but it closes on September 30».
Alexandra concludes: «We have met with everyone, including representatives of the Ministry, but they do not give us a solution. I want to clarify that we are not moved by any political criteria, except that of solving this serious problem for so many families.
The families consider that their documentation was not registered to correct errors
“Continue payment.”
The Ministry of Education maintains that “the payment of scholarships those who meet the requirements. They emphasize that it is a call from the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training and not from the Ministry with which “the deadlines, tools, resolutions and payments are made by the Ministry.”
Regarding the scholarships pending resolution by the Ministry, “these are requests that required correction.” That is to say, “the applicants did not present the documentation required in the bases of the call at the time of requesting it.” Or, “the Ministry understands that the one they provided does not prove that the established requirements are met and that is why they required the added documentation.”
It should be taken into account, he points out, “that The Ministry began to pay the aid of those who did present the documentation in a timely manner in November ». The processing and resolution times “are similar to other calls and there is no delay compared to previous years,” he summarizes.
One key is that, according to the regional department, “the processing has been completed and the Ministry continues with the resolution of the scholarships – from the Canary Islands and the rest of the Autonomous Communities.” Proof of this “is that two subscriptions have been made, on June 6 and 28.” Regarding the review of resources, he points out, “a third are already in Intervention proposed for payment.”
Education values that “in this call, 74% of scholarship applications in the province have been approved.” The Ministry continues to resolve resources “so the figure will increase.” This means that “three out of four children who have applied have the scholarship approved. The best campaign of the last four.
The Ministry specifies that “it attends to the importance of assigning study aid, and more scholarships for students with educational support needs.” That is why “meetings have been held with family spokespersons.” It clarifies that, in addition, “specific measures of telephone and email attention have been arbitrated to provide information and advice that guarantees the exercise of their rights.”
Specific Support Needs
The NEAE scholarships (Specific Educational Support Needs) are grants granted by the Ministry of Education and managed by the different Autonomous Communities. They are intended for all those students who require certain specific educational support and attention derived from disability or serious behavioral disorders, which also include those students affected by ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). These scholarships consist of an economic compensation for the intervention of the needs presented by the student, as long as the center in which he is enrolled cannot fully meet the needs required. These aids are divided into two categories. On the one hand, those for students with special educational needs derived from disability or serious behavioral disorder. On the other hand, those aimed at schoolchildren with specific educational needs for educational support, associated with high intellectual capacities.
