The Education councilor of the Government of the Canary Islands, Poli Suárez, unveiled a shock plan for the southern Tenerife infrastructures on Tuesday in Granadilla de Abona. The plan includes 27 measures for the region: the creation of 10 new centres and the expansion of 17 others. The construction works, with a planned investment of 77.7 million euros, are expected to be carried out between 2024 and 2031.
The Southern Tenerife Educational Infrastructure shock plan 2023-2031 was drafted in just five months. The collaboration of the various municipalities in the southern region was key in this process. Representatives from each municipality highlighted the educational needs in their respective territories to shape a strategy that aims to be updated every June until 2031. The annual update of the plan is one of the key novelties. “Otherwise, it would be an unrealistic plan,” Suárez argued.
Efforts to improve southern infrastructures had been ongoing for years with no success. Measures such as the South New Educational Infrastructures Plan 2001 were never implemented. The Canarian Educational Infrastructure Plan 2018-2025 was also launched, but only 3.2% has been executed, with just 1 of the 31 planned actions completed. Therefore, the new plan proposed by the Ministry today will be reviewed annually with updates that “will be published to allow better monitoring of the announced measures and to promote transparency and accountability”, as stated by Iván González, the director general of Educational Infrastructures.
The councilor emphasized the “urgent need” to address this area, considered “red” in terms of schooling. The alert arises from the population increase experienced in recent times with infrastructures that have not adapted to this growth. Over just over twenty years, from 2000 to 2023, the region has gone from 146,081 to 317,006 inhabitants. This represents a 220% increase from two decades ago.
Municipalities
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The municipalities that have experienced the highest population growth in this century are all located in the southern region: San Miguel de Abona has increased from 7,315 inhabitants in 2000 to 22,606 in 2023; Adeje, from 14,007 to 50,167; Granadilla de Abona, from 20,323 to 54,942; Arona, from 38,416 to 85,249; Candelaria, from 13,294 to 28,694; and Güímar, from 14,646 to 21,536.
In the case of Granadilla de Abona, Adeje, Arona, or San Miguel, the population growth has meant doubling or even tripling the population with hardly any new educational buildings. As a result, the only new establishment until now has been the IES Montaña de Guaza, which has not actually increased the number of school places but is the relocation of the previous IES Guaza. This shortage of places has led to congestion in existing centres. The consequences are “low educational quality” and “limitation of social and professional development opportunities for new generations,” as described in the report presented by the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training, Physical Activities, and Sports.
The population growth is mainly driven by the arrival of young families with school-age children. The usual reason is the search for opportunities provided by the economic activity dedicated to the service sector. The average ages in the area reflect the youthfulness of the population. In the region, it is 42.8 years, whereas in cases like Granadilla or San Miguel, it drops to 39.5 and 39.9 years, respectively.
Family photo among the mayors of the southern region municipalities together with the Education Minister, Poli Suárez, and the Infrastructure general director, Iván González / El Día
However, this situation contrasts with the already historically deficient creation of new educational centres, a situation that has traditionally been addressed by installing modular classrooms. In fact, the highest concentration of educational centres with modular classrooms in Canary Islands is found in this region. For this reason, the regional government aims to drive this plan, which includes two types of actions: new infrastructures and the expansion of existing centres.
To achieve this, there are European Union Feder funds, the Canary Islands Government’s own funds, collaboration agreements with other administrations, or the Special Canary Employment Plan, which would mean an economic boost of 42 million euros. In total, 77.7 million euros, of which 8.8 million have already been disbursed.
Ten new centres and nearly twenty expanded
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Specifically, the extension of the Punta Larga Infant and Primary Education Centre (CEIP) in Candelaria is planned, through the creation of a new dining hall and the expansion of the Compulsory Education Centre (CEO) Andrés Orozco in Arafo by creating changing rooms in the sports area and expanding the CEO Guajara in Fasnia by creating three new classrooms.
In Arico, the construction of a new CEO in Abades and, in Granadilla de Abona, the construction of a CEO (San Isidro) and an Integrated Vocational Training Centre (CIFP), with the municipal transfer of a building. Additionally, also in Granadilla, the expansion of six other centres is planned: the Secondary Education Institutes (IES) El Médano, Magallanes and Los Cardones, and the CEIP Abona, Los Abrigos and Froilán Hernández, the latter through the creation of a new dining hall.
San Miguel de Abona will have a new IES and a new CEIP in Las Chafiras, while Vilaflor de Chasna will see the expansion of the CEO Hermano Pedro also by creating a dining hall.
Arona will have a new CIFP in Los Cristianos, a new special education centre (CEE) with a school residence in Parque de la Reina and will expand the IES Los Cristianos and Ichasagua, the Arona Secondary Education Institute Section (SIES), the CEIP Buzanada and the Official School of Languages (EOI) Los Cristianos.
Finally, the plan includes in Adeje a new CIFP and a new CEE, as well as a CEIP (Tijoco Bajo), while for Santiago del Teide the expansion of the IES Serafín Pardo and the CEIP José Esquivel is foreseen.
Poli Suárez and Iván González / The Day
All the actions included in this plan, which has involved contributions from other management centres of the Department and the Municipalities, are based on the needs detected by the Schooling Service of the department led by Poli Suárez and the Educational Inspection.
In this line, and following technical criteria, only two municipalities do not have any measures planned for now: Güímar, where however there is the possibility of creating a CEO in El Puertito later on, and Guía de Isora, where however, other measures not included in the plan are planned as they do not involve the creation or expansion of centres, such as the relocation of the Adult Education Centre (CEPA) to better facilities than those currently existing.
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However, “the measures we are presenting today will not only affect the centres and municipalities involved, but the entire region, as the creation of new infrastructures and the expansion of existing ones will help relieve other centres in the area,” explained Poli Suárez, who cited the relief that improvements in special education will bring to the Adeje Special Education Centre (CEE).
