The Minister of Education, Vocational Training, Physical Activity and Sports of the Government of the Canary Islands, Poli Suárez, participated this Thursday in one of the events to mark Canary Islands Day, organized by the Rural Schools Collective (CER) of Lanzarote, a get-together that brought together more than 280 schoolchildren and teachers from thirteen educational centers on the island around various activities related to the traditions and cultural identity of the islands.
During the event, Suárez highlighted the importance of promoting actions to retain population in the territory, particularly in non-capital islands and rural areas, "one of the great commitments of this Ministry, and which has been particularly noticeable in Lanzarote, for example with our commitment to implement canteens in all the single-teacher schools on the island."
In this regard, the minister also valued "the work that the teaching staff of these schools do to preserve the traditions and identity of our archipelago."
"Here, education is provided from proximity and from roots in our land. Seeing so many children sharing traditional games and Canarian customs is a guarantee that all this heritage will remain alive in the future," he added.
The CER meeting also included the presence of the mayor of San Bartolomé, Isidro Pérez, who thanked the Ministry for its commitment to these schools, despite the "difficulties" involved in their management. "For the children, and for the parents who believe in this educational model, they must be kept open," declared the mayor.
Traditions
Poli Suárez highlighted "the enormous value that these types of meetings have for keeping our traditions alive from school and sharing them between generations." "Canary Islands Day takes on an even more special meaning when it is celebrated with rural schools, because in a territory like ours, they are the backbone of education for many schoolchildren who need these centers to guarantee equal opportunities, and we are demonstrating a firm commitment to continue strengthening the public network of single-teacher schools," said the minister.
The students were able to participate in a wide program of workshops, games, and popular activities that transformed the meeting space into a living display of traditional customs and elements of the archipelago.
In the activity participated schoolchildren and teachers from the thirteen Centers of Early Childhood and Primary Education (CEIP) that make up the Collective of Rural Schools of Lanzarote —El Cuchillo, Mararía, Las Breñas, La Vegueta, Los Valles, Soo, Nazaret, Tao, Muñique, La Caleta de Famara, Las Mercedes, María Auxiliadora and Güime—, who enjoyed a day of coexistence and games at the collective's headquarters.
The day's program included thematic spaces such as La Fonda, La Cueva de Guaticea, La Escuelita Antigua or an audiovisual material reproduction area about the CER itself, in addition to a calm corner and different game stations distributed throughout the premises.
The students participated in activities linked to traditional Canarian games and sports, including Canarian ball, spinning top, yo-yo, bottle caps, tangana, Canarian wrestling, shepherd's leap, key and horseshoe games, fishing in a small boat, fairground games, or go-kart races. Workshops related to weaving, limpets, hoops, pineapple, or gofio grinding were also developed, along with other recreational and coexistence proposals.
Educational project
The CER of Lanzarote develops different educational projects throughout the school year linked to linguistic communication, sustainability, health promotion, emotional education, equality, or the natural, social, and cultural heritage of the Canary Islands, with the aim of connecting the school with its environment and reinforcing the sense of community in the island's rural villages.
Among the initiatives promoted by the CER are activities related to school radios and oral tradition, environmental projects focused on the care of the territory and the island's landscape, or proposals centered on the conservation and dissemination of Canarian customs, thus encouraging students to grow up connected to their social and cultural environment from an early age.
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