The Socialist Municipal Group in the Arrecife City Council has denounced the "drastic budget cut applied by the mayor, Yonathan de León, to the National University of Distance Education (UNED), which has seen its allocation reduced by 40% compared to the previous year." In absolute terms, the budget has gone from 75,000 to 40,500 euros in the last two years, which seriously compromises the budget of an institution that offers a key educational offer for hundreds of students in the capital.
The PSOE of Arrecife warns that these decisions are not isolated, but reflect a worrying trend in the educational policy of the current government group. While fundamental services such as UNED are being dismantled, spending on parties and events is becoming increasingly exorbitant.
For the spokesperson of the Socialist Group, Alfredo Mendoza, “this cut is a real betrayal of the youth of Arrecife. There are dozens of students who can only access higher education thanks to UNED, and now they are being turned away to continue feeding a machine of personal propaganda and excessive spending on leisure and entertainment. This is not governing: this is abandoning the future of our city”.
Mendoza adds that “attacking public education is directly attacking progress and equal opportunities. The City Council is failing in its duty to guarantee access to higher education, especially for those who cannot travel outside the island or bear the costs of a face-to-face university”.
Mendoza denounces that “the party has become the cornerstone of Yonathan de León's political project”. “Preparations for the 2026 Carnival have already begun, even though we have not even reached the halfway point of the current year. That is his priority: while education is being cut, parties are being planned a year in advance”.
The PSOE of Arrecife demands that the mayor immediately rectify this measure and restore institutional support to UNED, the only university pathway for many working families in the capital. “We are not going to allow the fireworks to cover up the silent dismantling of our rights”, they conclude from the Socialist Group.
