SANTA CRUZ DE TENERIFE 6 Nov. (EUROPA PRESS) –
The Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Universities, Juan Cruz Cigudosa, along with the Canarian Minister of Universities, Science, Innovation and Culture, Migdalia Machín, the rector of the University of La Laguna (ULL), Francisco Javier García, and the rector of the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Lluís Serra Majem, formalised the agreement for the launch of the ‘María Goyri Programme’ in the Canary Islands this Wednesday.
This initiative will fund the appointment of 188 doctoral assistant lecturers at the two public universities across the islands.
During the occasion, the Secretary of State elaborated that the Spanish Government will finance the hiring of 113 doctoral assistant lecturers, while the Government of the Canary Islands will fund an additional 75 positions, effectively doubling the number of roles available for this type of academic staff.
In this context, the Secretary of State emphasised that “effective governance is essential to enhance a university system that produces better individuals and, with the requisite resources, will enable the advancement of knowledge, which should be directed towards serving society and institutions.”
The ‘María Goyri Programme’ aims to facilitate the incorporation of over 5,600 doctoral assistant teaching positions across public universities in Spain.
With this agreement’s signing, five autonomous communities, including Asturias, Castilla-La Mancha, Catalonia, and Navarra, have now joined the rollout of this groundbreaking initiative, which aims to finance more than 5,600 doctoral assistant lecturer positions in public universities nationwide.
Specifically, Cigudosa clarified that “the Government’s commitment to the ‘María Goyri Programme’ entails financing 3,400 doctoral assistant teaching positions throughout Spain over six years, which will result in a total expenditure exceeding 900 million euros from the Executive.”
Additionally, he explained that “this programme entails the mobilisation of another 2,236 positions, which will be funded by the autonomous communities responsible for these matters.”
He expressed his belief that “the Spanish Government, the autonomous communities, and the public universities are collaborating to definitively eradicate a situation of unacceptable job insecurity in our universities, a fallout from an era marked by cuts and disinvestment strategies that have affected different regions.”
Furthermore, he reminded attendees that “this is the first occasion in which a Spanish Government assumes direct responsibility for the salaries of university lecturers and researchers, funding a responsibility that has been transferred to the autonomous communities.”
CIGUDOSA EXPRESSES GOVERNMENT SUPPORT TO THOSE IMPACTED BY DANA
During the gathering, Cigudosa conveyed the Spanish Government’s support to all individuals affected by DANA and recalled that the Council of Ministers approved a preliminary set of measures aimed at supporting households, businesses, the self-employed, and local authorities in all municipalities impacted by this disaster.
He also mentioned that “the people of the Canary Islands understand that science, particularly that which emanates from public universities, saves lives, as evidenced by the management of the emergency following the volcanic eruption in La Palma.”
