A call for an academic strike on February 26 and 27 has been made by the Student Delegation of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Communication at the University of La Laguna due to the inadequacy of tutors for the Final Degree Projects of the students studying Social Work.
Despite ongoing mobilizations, Alfonso Ruiz, the ULL’s vice-rector of Teaching and Research Personnel, informed EFE that this issue has “been resolved,” with the inclusion of two full-time teachers in the following days and additional dedication to an existing staff member.
Ruiz emphasized that these recruitments “had already been planned and were in progress,” but were delayed by “complex and laborious” administrative procedures, sometimes “unrelated to the managing service.”
The Student Delegation has stated that the strike will not be called off “until all students have a tutor,” asserting that “promises for next week are not sufficient.”
In a joint statement supported by the ULL Student Council and the four cloistered groups with representation, the Delegation confirmed that students are still “without receiving any information from the dean and rector team of the academic institution” regarding a problem that, they claim, has been persistent for several years.
Jennifer Hernández, the delegate from the final year of the Social Work Degree, warned in statements to EFE that on February 14, they were informed of the delay in assignment due to the lack of teaching staff.
She stated that currently, only 60 percent of the 112 enrolled students could be accommodated, leaving 40% without tutoring for their final degree projects.
She also highlighted that this teaching staff shortage has led to an overload of credits for the Teaching and Research Staff, making consistent and effective monitoring difficult, as mentioned in the statement.
In response to this situation, an academic strike was approved in the four degrees of the Faculty (Social Work, Journalism, Anthropology and Sociology) by the Student Delegation of the University, with ongoing considerations for “solutions rather than answers.”
In the written statement, they demand an extension of the deadlines for the final degree projects, ensuring that students receive “consistent quality in their work,” and preventing a recurrence of this situation in future academic years.
