The Association of Mothers and Fathers of Students (AMPA) Pejeverde of the Costa Teguise school has issued a statement following the suspension of classes for this Wednesday and this Friday in the Canary Islands. The families of the center, built in barracks, have indicated that they understand that the Ministry of Education considers that "in these circumstances, as when it rains or blows a lot of wind, the schools of the islands are not safe for the educational community. We understand it because we suffer it".
"Every time the Government of the Canary Islands suspends school days due to climatic issues, it is recognizing that schools and institutes are not safe environments for the educational community," they said in the text.
However, they have criticized that "what we do not understand is that the educational administration considers that children from 2 to 16 years old are safe being alone at home, regardless of the climatic situation".
The suspension of school days forces minors to stay with their grandparents many times. "Entrusting the safety of children to grandparents, elderly people who are also especially sensitive to these temperatures, does not seem to be the solution either, but an increase in risk".
What the administration does is not solve the problem, it is only taking it off their shoulders and loading it on the backs of families, especially mothers who are the ones who bear the brunt of family care," he continued.
In this sense, he points out that "the Ministry has clarified that school and non-school activity is suspended, so the administration and service staff and the teaching teams are also released from attending their jobs where there is always much to do, beyond teaching classes. The only parents who will have the peace of mind that their children are safe are the teachers themselves and those family units in which one of the parents does not work or does not have other family responsibilities".
The AMPA of CEIP Pejeverde requests that "while school environments are not safe against different climatic situations, we demand that every time school is suspended, employers and the administration itself release one of the parents, or the only one in the case of single-parent families, so that they can guarantee the safety of their sons and daughters".
They denounce the "historical neglect"
"We also want to highlight once again the exercise of institutional irresponsibility that has been the historical neglect of the administrations in terms of educational infrastructures, which leads to the recognition that schools are not safe environments.
We also insist on the need for all competent administrations to urgently prepare a report on the situation of educational infrastructures, plan the resolution of problems and adapt the centers to be safe environments in any circumstance.
The historical and recent deficiencies, as well as the request to update the educational centers to the 21st century, have been punctually included in the annual reports of all the centers in the reports of the educational reality of the School Council of the Canary Islands, in the reports on the financing of public schools to reach the minimum investment of 5% of GDP, as well as, recently, in the report on the performance of the Ministry of Education 2019-2023, promoted by the previous Minister, Dª Manuela Armas.
We urge the rest of the groups that make up the educational community to find ways of collaboration and coordination, using the functions and powers conferred on them by their institutional representation, to jointly claim the right to enjoy decent and safe facilities in the educational field".
