Seven educators and three educational institutions in the Canary Islands were recognised yesterday for their outstanding educational work in the Archipelago with the Viera and Clavijo distinctions. The award ceremony took place at the Casa de la Cultura in the municipality of Los Realejos, Tenerife, where this highest honour for teaching in non-university education in the Canary Islands was celebrated. These awards are named after José Antonio de Viera y Clavijo, a leading figure of the Enlightenment in the Archipelago who was born in Los Realejos, and whose 210th anniversary of death was commemorated in 2023.
The Viera and Clavijo distinctions were awarded to Cristina Blanco Sánchez, the headmistress of IES Cairasco de Figueroa in Gran Canaria; Julián Fariña Rodríguez, the director of the Integrated Vocational Training Centre (CIFP) Virgen de Candelaria in Tenerife; and Pedro Rodríguez Rodríguez, a teacher and technical specialist at the General Directorate of Education, Inclusion and Innovation of the Government of the Canary Islands, who recently retired. The next category recognised exceptional professional careers and roles in teaching, acknowledging María Isabel Pérez González, a teacher for almost four decades at IES Bañaderos-Cipriano Acosta in Gran Canaria until her retirement at the end of the 2022/2023 academic year, and Pascual Molina Barreto, posthumously, for his work at IES Doctor Antonio González González in Tenerife. Manuel García Déniz and Rafael Curbelo Armas from Lanzarote, a retired teacher and inspector respectively, received awards for their outstanding contributions to achieving educational objectives in the third and final individual categories of the event. CEIP Puntagorda (La Palma) and Gran Canaria, along with IES La Laboral in La Laguna, were honoured for their achievements in innovation, good practices, and projects related to Canary Islands content.
Following the awards ceremony, educator Cristina Blanco delivered a gratitude speech on behalf of all the awardees. In an emotional address, she recalled a quote by writer Jorge Luis Borges: “I love to teach a lot, especially because while I teach, I am learning.” She also highlighted that their work and that of the other honourees “has been publicly recognised, despite being done in the silence of daily work, without expecting more than what we give because we love what we do and have devoted a significant part of our lives to enjoying it.”
The event featured a performance by Barrios Orquestados and was concluded by the Education Minister, Poli Suárez, who commended the awardees for their “excellence in teaching,” as well as “the tireless dedication of those who, day after day, have worked and continue to work in education to shape the intellect, capabilities, and resources of those destined to lead and guide the future of our land.” The work of the distinguished professionals “has been crucial for the development of dozens of generations of young people who now make up our society. They are a reflection of their effort, dedication, and passion for education.”
The Education Minister highlighted that this is a “well-deserved recognition, fair, because they have been nominated by their peers, which speaks volumes about the work they do.” He concluded by reaffirming his commitment to the nearly 30,000 educators in the Canary Islands, “to whom we must provide the tools to carry out their work in a fair and updated manner.”
