The families of nine students from the IES Granadilla de Abona, who are enrolled in adapted training for Administration and Management – Recording Operations and Data and Document Processing tailored for individuals with disabilities, reported two issues impacting their children’s educational progress at the start of this term. Firstly, the absence of school transport has compelled parents to seek alternative solutions for their children’s attendance. Secondly, a unilateral alteration in the educational programme from Administration and Management to Commerce has caused discontent among parents, who feel the institution has failed to inform or consult them adequately regarding this change.
María Andrea García Pazo, mother of one of the students and spokesperson for the parents, stated that school transport should have been allocated to these students since September 9, the commencement date of classes. Despite the appropriate documentation being submitted on time, the students remain without transport.
García Pazo emphasises the severity of the situation: “These children have disabilities. Some are unable to or do not know how to take a bus. They do not recognise the routes nor can they distinguish between them. Recently, for instance, one child missed the bus and had to walk to Granadilla. If something were to happen to him, who would take responsibility? We are discussing a very serious matter,” she cautioned.
JOB SECURITY AT RISK
Due to this transport issue, many families have been compelled to transport their children in private vehicles, which, according to one affected mother, jeopardises “their own employment” as they arrive late to work. “There is a child from Arico who has not even managed to attend classes because there is no means for him to get there. The families, who have banded together to support the students, are placing our jobs at risk because of this predicament,” she explained. The second point of contention is the modification in the educational programme the institution intends to enforce. Families claim that when they registered their children, they agreed for them to pursue Adapted Basic Vocational Training in Administration and Management – Data and Document Recording and Processing Operations. Yet, the institution has recently announced a shift to Commerce, “without prior consultation with parents.”
“The institution has made a unilateral decision to alter our children’s educational path. My daughter was scheduled to study a particular course, but now she is being assigned a different one that we did not choose. All of this has been done without our agreement,” denounced García Pazo. Meanwhile, IES Granadilla de Abona and the Vice-Ministry of Education have convened a general meeting with parents for next Thursday, although the primary purpose of the meeting remains unclear. Families are hopeful that during this meeting, they will receive information and resolution concerning both issues.
OFFICIAL RESPONSE
Sources from the Ministry of Education informed DIARIO DE AVISOS that, regarding transport for students, the Granadilla centre proposed a modification to the mobility system, suggesting a specialised service for students with disabilities. However, the processing of this specific provision has resulted in students going without transport for the time being.
“The situation is anticipated to be rectified by October 1,” they clarified. The objective was to provide students with more suitable transport; however, regrettably, they have experienced delays and a lack of service,” explained personnel from the department overseen by Poli Suárez.
OPTIONS FOR OTHER INSTITUTIONS IN THE REGION
Concerning the switch in educational programme, these sources indicated that initially, the planned offerings at IES Granadilla de Abona included only Commerce. “Last year, the adapted Vocational Training programme was restructured by the Vice-Ministry of Education, resulting in a new allocation of modalities across the centres. During this process, the option for Administration and Digitalisation at IES Granadilla was removed,” they clarified.
However, the vice-counsellor mentioned that the possibility of allowing students to transfer to another institute that provides the Administration programme is under consideration, as requested by the families. Furthermore, they stated that, as of now, there is no record of the vice-counsellor’s office being officially alerted to this particular situation.
