The Commissioner of the Economic and Fiscal Regime (REF) of the Canary Islands, José Ramón Barrera, visited on Thursday, May 29, the CEIP Camino la Villa in La Laguna to participate in the commemorative events for Canary Islands Day.
The day, dedicated to traditions, brought together students, teachers, and families who attended in traditional costumes and shared traditional cuisine. This year, the thematic focus was theREF, considered a pillar of the archipelago’s identity heritage.
Disseminating the REF
More than 350 students from Primary and Secondary developed an intensive activity program to disseminate the REF among their families. Under the slogan ‘Proud to be, proud to know’ — in line with the institutional slogan for Canary Islands Month by the regional government, ‘Pride of who we are’ — the students started the morning with a choreography to form the Canary Islands flag and the REF initials, while being recorded from the air with drones.
Speech
“It is very important to know that, thanks to the REF, we can enjoy water and electricity without paying extra costs, or that we can travel by boat and airplane as easily as we do,” highlighted José Ramón Barrera during his inaugural speech, in which he thanked “the teachers’ involvement in making a reality at this center the challenge we have set for the Canary Islands Government this legislature: that our rights stop being a great unknown.”
In the same vein, Irene Niebla, director of the El Coromoto School, praised her team’s work for having managed to “bring something as complex as our regime into the classrooms, and turn it into something fun, motivating, and exciting.”
Expansive Effect
She admitted that this project — “which has made the center a reference,” she said humorously, referring to the play on words — is having an expansive effect on the children’s environment. “There are many parents, grandparents, and neighbors, including myself, who have finally managed to understand what the REF is thanks to our little ones. So thanks to the entire team for that,” she emphasized.
The Commissioner of the Economic and Fiscal Regime (REF) of the Canary Islands, José Ramón Barrera, during his visit to CEIP Camino la Villa, in La Laguna / El Día
The day continued with the reading of the story ‘The Hidden Island’, by students Lía and Mar. The story addresses the meaning of remoteness and insularity and is part of the educational material of the Edu REF project. All the students sang the song ‘What a Beautiful Life Here’, composed by teacher Gloria de La Orden.
Games
Additionally, obstacle games and an informative stand on the main REF measures were organized, coordinated by teachers Raquel Herrera and Haydee Correa, authors of one of the learning situations about the regime, which since this Thursday are available on the Ministry of Education’s website as a resource for all the archipelago’s centers.
Children from CEIP Camino de La Villa dressed in traditional costumes on Thursday for Canary Islands Day. / E. D.
The commissioner’s visit was also taken advantage of by the school radio station Radio Camino. Martina, a fourth-grade student, and Irai, from fifth grade, began the interview by stating that the REF is “like a toolbox that makes the Canary Islands a better place to live“, and asked José Ramón Barrera for advice “for the children who want to help make the islands better when we grow up.” “I believe the best lesson I’ve been taught is that, when faced with problems, the best thing is not to complain, but to try to find a solution,” asserted the regional government representative.
The program concluded with a Romero walk through the streets of El Coromoto, in which the students’ families also participated.
