Lanzarote is the second Canary Island with the lowest schooling rate in the first cycle of Early Childhood Education, being only 9.69%, due to the lack of places.
Specifically, Lanzarote only has 387 authorized places, being the third with the least offer, despite being the most populated behind the capital islands. The one with the most is Tenerife with 6,661, followed by Gran Canaria with 5,011, La Palma with 608 and Fuerteventura with 451. La Gomera has 110 places, while El Hierro has none.
The latter is the only one that is behind Lanzarote in schooling, as it directly lacks early childhood education schools. As for La Gomera, having less population, schooling is much higher, reaching 29.57%.
In the rest of the islands, La Palma registers the highest schooling rate, which is 38.48%. In Tenerife, the rate is 33.44%, and in Gran Canaria 30.44%. Fuerteventura is behind La Gomera and ahead of Lanzarote, with a rate of 14.12%.
Plan to reach a schooling rate of 33% in 2023
Given these data, the Ministry of Education, Universities, Culture and Sports of the Government of the Canary Islands is working on the elaboration of a Strategic Plan for the first cycle of Early Childhood Education to reach a schooling rate of 33% in 2023, which it affirms will mean the creation of 1,857 new authorized places from 0 to 3 years old at the end of the legislature.
This was announced by the Minister of the area, Manuela Armas, accompanied by the General Director of Centers, Infrastructure and Educational Promotion, Laly González, in the presentation of the Map of Early Childhood Education of the Canary Islands - a list of all public and private centers authorized in the Archipelago with detailed information on their educational offer, services they provide and contact information, in addition to their geographical distribution - and the diagnosis of the situation of this non-compulsory education, from which the regional Executive starts to increase the offer of this educational level, which currently represents 28.93% in the islands.
With this purpose, which constitutes a fundamental government objective for this legislature, the Ministry is advancing in the elaboration of said Plan to attend to the schooling needs of 0 to 3 years old in the Canary Islands and guarantee equity, inclusion, sustainability, quality and equality in the services and teaching and learning processes; promote support for families and promote their participation; improve the professional qualification of teaching staff; promote coordination and collaboration between the different public administrations and between the public and private centers that teach it; as well as advance in the digital transformation in this area.
This document, which is expected to be presented before the end of the year, is conceived as an instrument to determine criteria and guide the work towards improving the quality of this first cycle of Early Childhood Education as an educational and human and socioeconomic development policy in accordance with the educational policies and recommendations of the European Union and complying with the provisions of the Canary Islands Education Law and the new state education law (LOMLOE).
"We must put early childhood education in the place it deserves, that is, consider it as an educational stage, beyond its welfare nature", said the Minister, who indicated that at this time there are a total of 31 public children's centers in the process of authorization in the Archipelago.
The increase in the offer of this level of education is one of the points of the Agreement for a Government of Progress and Change for this X Legislature, aimed at achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) contemplated in the 2030 Agenda, and is also part of the actions planned in the Canary Islands Strategy for Children, Adolescents and Families (2019/23) and the Plan for the Social and Economic Reactivation of the Canary Islands of September 30, 2020.
To promote the progressive implementation of Early Childhood Education in the 0 to 3 year range, the Government of the Canary Islands launched in the 2018/19 academic year the call for three lines of direct subsidies that help to cover the expenses assumed by the families of students from authorized centers, and contribute to the maintenance of centers of municipal and private ownership. The Canary Islands Executive will invest 9.1 million euros in promoting early schooling in the 2021 financial year through these lines of aid, the same amount that it allocated to this purpose in last year's budget.
"Attending to this educational stage is one of the most important social investments we can make, always under an inclusive and multidisciplinary approach, as a right to the development of girls and boys to the maximum of their possibilities, as a measure of equity for vulnerable students, and as an instrument to transform them, through knowledge, into agents of change", indicated the head of the department.
An increase in the offer based on the population and the availability of spaces
The Canary Islands currently has 240 authorized centers (75 public of municipal ownership and 165 private) of Early Childhood Education of the first cycle that offer a total of 13,228 places (5,105 in public education and 8,123 private). To these figures must be added a total of 13 Infant Schools (4 in Gran Canaria, 8 in Tenerife and one in La Palma) that are under the tutelage of the Ministry of Social Rights, Equality, Diversity and Youth.
"The increase in the offer of places in the first cycle of Early Childhood Education will be made based on the demand for this service according to the child population of the municipalities, the availability of land or spaces to house them, such as Early Childhood and Primary Education Centers, in addition to other criteria", commented the Minister, who stressed that "this increase is also a priority to address vital issues such as family reconciliation and the access of women in equal conditions to the labor market".
"This Plan must be something joint between the Government of the Canary Islands and the Canary Islands Federation of Municipalities (FECAM), and also the Cabildos, some of whom have expressed their willingness to collaborate with us in this work", added Armas.
The Map of Early Childhood Education of the Canary Islands is available for consultation on the Education website of the Government of the Canary Islands through the link https://www.gobiernodecanarias.org/educacion/web/infantil/centros-educacion-infantil/.