Public universities warn of "proliferation of private centers of dubious quality" in the Canary Islands

 The rectors of the Canarian and Andalusian public universities have signed a manifesto in which they warn about "the excessive proliferation" of private centers of "dubious quality" in both autonomous communities.

In the meeting of the rectors, held in Seville, the rectors of Andalusia and the Canary Islands have agreed to convey to the autonomous and state governments their growing concern about the authorization of six and five private campuses respectively.

They ask that it be guaranteed by law that new training centers comply with the minimum requirements to be considered universities, adequately addressing all the basic missions of higher education, which are teaching, research and knowledge transfer.

They also demand that the two autonomous governments ensure that the authorization of new degrees is carried out based on strategic criteria that prioritize the general interest over particular profit.

The rectors also warn that both university systems are underfunded compared to the minimum required by the Organic Law of the University System (LOSU), which places the floor of public investment in higher education at 1% of GDP.

Therefore, they demand "a multi-year financing framework that clearly, stably and ambitiously defines how and when the mandate established by the new legislation will be fulfilled."

The manifesto emphasizes that university autonomy "is being questioned by some of the recent legislative initiatives, such as the Law on Social Councils and Coordination of the University System of the Canary Islands."

This law "subverts the democratic legitimacy of the collegiate and unipersonal bodies of the university and opens the door to political interference in the ordinary functioning of the academy," say the representatives of the public universities, who are concerned about the interventionist trend that "threatens the autonomy of the Spanish university system as a whole."

The Andalusian and Canarian rectors claim before the autonomous and state governments the need to promote investment in science and technology, "the main engine of economic and social development of any territory."

"We request that the financing of excellent R&D&I be increased and new instruments be created, which allows us to converge with the European average in investment in basic and applied science," they point out, and state that the most developed and fastest-growing countries exceed 3% of GDP in total investment in their scientific system.