The faculty of IES Zonzamas has made public a statement joining the criticisms against the Ministry of Education of the Government of the Canary Islands, for the changes it has just announced for the next school year, and which affect eight educational centers on the island. "Confusion and misinformation have been encouraged, seeking confrontation between the educational communities themselves, not seeking consensus or the general interest," denounce the teachers, who this Friday held an assembly to discuss this issue.
In their press release, they begin by recognizing the "need" to create the Integrated Vocational Training Center in Lanzarote, which would be installed in the current IES Zonzamas. However, they consider that the "changes" that have been announced for the next course, as a prior step to the implementation of that FP center, have been made with "absolute obscurantism" and without the necessary foresight.
"A roadmap has been presented that modifies the assignment of students from Arrecife to their educational centers just five days before the opening of enrollment for the 2016-2017 course," they denounce, stating that "this has caused the bewilderment of teachers, students, parents, without giving the educational communities time to reflect and agree on a school reorganization of this magnitude, which affects eight educational communities."
"An example of absolute obscurantism"
In addition, they criticize that "at no time was the educational community of IES Zonzamas consulted about the changes that were planned. There is talk of transparency, but this has been an example of absolute obscurantism in management, which we do not know what interests it may respond to, but certainly not to those of a large part of this educational community."
In their opinion, the measures proposed by the Ministry "respond to the assessment of educational communities as if they were numbers, carrying out a technical regrouping that seeks to minimize expenses, maintaining high ratios, instead of offering a quality education." And in that "cut in expenses", they also include the lack of funding for the construction of two centers that they consider "vital" for Arrecife, the CEIP La Destila and the IES Maneje. "Surprisingly, it has disappeared from the budgets," they warn.
Faced with this situation, the teachers of IES Zonzamas demand "clarity and that, immediately, the Ministry redirects this situation with tact and responsibility, undertaken without the minimum preventive guarantees and that affect the normal and necessary coexistence of the educational communities: parents, students and teachers".
