Lanzarote will demonstrate to demand dignified, inclusive education with real resources in the Canary Islands

The Canary Platform for Inclusive Education, along with educational and social entities from different islands, including federations of AMPAS, associations, and unions, has called for a demonstration in the Canary Islands on June 14 under the slogan For a dignified, inclusive education with real resources, with the aim of demanding that public administrations guarantee the necessary resources for educational inclusion to be a reality in classrooms.

The call arises from the growing concern of families, teachers, educational assistants, professionals, and entities linked to diversity care about the lack of sufficient means in the educational system. A situation that, as they warn, particularly affects students with specific educational support needs and their families, who are often forced to claim alone rights that should be guaranteed.

So far, the Canary Platform for Inclusive Education, the Federation of Fuerteventura FIMAPA, the Federation of Gran Canaria FAPA Galdós, the associations Somos Unos Más, Amararte, ConTuAyuda Todos Sumaremos, Asociación Sentirte, Asociación Lanzarotea, NEAES Tenerife, Asociación Adivia, Asociación Adisfuer, Asociación Paso a Paso, as well as the Sindicato de Estudiantes and UDECA have shown their support for the demonstration. Furthermore, the organization points out that support continues to grow and that new entities will be joining the call in the coming days.

The promoting entities recall that inclusive education "cannot continue to be just a discourse" and that students have the right to a dignified, accessible education with real support. In this regard, they emphasize that inclusion is not a matter of good will, but an obligation of public administrations.  

The demonstration aims to denounce the existence of students without the necessary support, classrooms without sufficient resources, families forced to fight alone, overwhelmed teachers, delays in assessments and reports, lack of specialists in Therapeutic Pedagogy, Hearing and Language, and guidance, as well as insufficient educational and health assistants.  

It also calls for an improvement of educational infrastructures, many of which are not accessible or are in poor condition, and a firm response to any situation that may lead to segregation, discrimination, hidden expulsions, or lack of real student participation in the life of the center.

“There are not too many children. There is a lack of resources,” states the manifesto of the call, which insists that no student can be removed from the classroom or have their right to learn and coexist limited due to the lack of means in the educational system.

Among the main demands are an increase in support teachers within the classroom, more specialists in Therapeutic Pedagogy, more professionals in Hearing and Language, more counselors, more educational and healthcare assistants, stable non-teaching staff within the educational system, adequate ratios, stable staffing, and sufficient resources for all stages.

Likewise, the entities demand that the Hearing and Language and Therapeutic Pedagogy roles cease to be itinerant, considering that student support cannot be reduced to occasional interventions or "spare moments," but must be continuous, stable, and adapted to the real needs of each child.

The call also demands specialized and continuous training for teachers and all staff who attend to students. In this regard, it is proposed that Teacher Training Centers have permanent training programs in diversity support and that unified criteria exist that do not depend solely on the will of each center.

Another focus of the mobilization will be the defense of accessible, adapted, and adequate infrastructure for all students. The entities recall that there can be no real inclusion if educational spaces do not allow access, movement, participation, communication, learning, and coexistence on equal terms.

Similarly, they demand a guarantor educational inspection, which ensures compliance with regulations, protects student well-being, and acts to guarantee rights, instead of justifying the lack of resources.

The organizing entities call on families, teachers, educational assistants, parent-teacher associations, unions, associations, and the general public to join the demonstration on June 14, considering that inclusive education with resources benefits the entire educational community.

“Defending the most vulnerable students is defending a better school for everyone,” they state, recalling that when there are sufficient supports, coexistence, learning, individualized attention, and the conditions under which teachers carry out their work improve.

The mobilization of June 14 is thus proposed as a call for the unity of the Canarian educational community to demand a dignified, accessible, inclusive public school with guarantees for all students. Real inclusion now. Without resources there is no inclusion. Rights are not cut.