The income thresholds to be eligible for aid for textbooks and school supplies have been increased by the Ministry of Education of the Government of the Canary Islands.
For the next school year, families of two to four members with incomes up to 18,000 euros will be able to benefit from these aids, compared to the 16,675.20 established to date. For families of nine or more members, it was 24,675.20 euros.
For families composed of more than four people, the threshold will increase by 1,600 euros for each additional member, which represents "a significant improvement", emphasizes the area's counselor, Poli Suárez, in a statement.
With this decision, Education also responds to a request made by the Regional Confederation of Associations of Mothers and Fathers of the Canary Islands (CONFAPA Canarias), with which Suárez held a meeting a few days after taking office and which today Thursday has demanded a budget of 10 million euros to end the existing "educational co-payment".
"We are aware of their demands and needs, and working intensely to resolve those that are possible with the greatest urgency," said the counselor, for whom "it is a priority that the burden of these expenses does not fall on the most vulnerable families," says Suárez.
"We must rethink the financing of schools so that certain requests are not made to parents because public education is a right," adds the counselor.
More than 74,000 aids last year
In the 2022/2023 school year, 74,572 aids were granted for textbooks and teaching materials, but with the modification of the thresholds that now comes into effect, the number in the 2023/2024 school year will be "significantly higher".
The measure is of "special importance", Education points out, taking into account, in addition, that, in application of the LOMLOE, this course will involve the renewal of textbooks and materials for all levels (in the past course, only those of odd courses were renewed), so it will not be possible to resort to the inheritance of the same among family and friends.
The aids, which have three modalities (Infant, from first to sixth grade of Primary and Secondary, Basic Vocational Training and Adapted Vocational Training), are not transferred directly to families, but to educational centers, which make the purchase of textbooks and materials for students who are beneficiaries.
Subsequently, at the beginning of the course, they are delivered to the parents, mothers or guardians of the students, who sign in writing their acceptance and commitment to make appropriate use of them, as well as to return them at the end of the course.
