Socialist Party Criticises Government’s Handling of Heatwave

Failure of Protocols

The Socialist Party has condemned the “shameful and ineffective” actions of the Education Ministry of the Canary Islands Government in managing the recent heatwave in the Archipelago. In a statement issued this Saturday, they noted that the current protocol of action “has not functioned adequately during this week.” They highlighted that this protocol “delegates the responsibility of requesting the activation of level three, which corresponds to high risk, and the implementation of exceptional measures, such as early dismissal or remote learning, onto the school management teams.”

They believe the application of this protocol has been inconsistent. “While some schools were able to implement these measures, in others, students and teaching staff had to continue their usual activities despite temperatures reaching 37 degrees Celsius,” they asserted.

Infrastructure Concerns

The PSOE has criticized the Ministry for not “taking responsibility” and demands that it should be the one to declare risk levels and activate protocols uniformly across all schools under similar conditions, thereby supporting management teams and ensuring the safety of the educational community.

Additionally, they insist that the situation “demonstrates the need to invest in suitable infrastructure to withstand extreme heat episodes.” Consequently, the Socialist Parliamentary Group has announced it will seek explanations from Education Minister Poli Suárez in the Canary Islands Parliament. They also call for “the upcoming budgets to include sufficient investments in education, in compliance with the Canary Education Law, ensuring adequate resources and conditions for all schools.”

Demand for Accountability

Nira Fierro, the party’s organisation secretary in the Canary Islands, emphasised that the Government must “ensure the proper conduct of classes” and, in any case, “assume the responsibility that falls to them as the highest authorities of the autonomous community.” In her view, they should not “delegate their responsibilities to teachers” but should rather “coordinate the necessary actions in response to climatic episodes like those we are currently experiencing.”

The heatwave led the STEC-IC union to demand an immediate suspension of classes on Friday across all public schools in the Archipelago. Seven schools in Tenerife cancelled in-person classes, and the Education Ministry authorised early dismissal for students in six schools.