On April 28, the six Madrid public universities carried out a strike that paralyzed almost the activity in, the most affected by infinance. But the blackout, which left all Spain without light, eclipsed the unitary protest that was going to continue in the afternoon with a demonstration along with other sectors – from early childhood education – and which has finally been held this Thursday. Hundreds of people have marched from the Paseo del Prado to almost the Antón Martín Metro station. The demand is the same as a month ago, and even the same as more than a decade ago: to free the centers from which suffocation. Although the follow -up has not been massive as February 23, when 25,000 people launched themselves to the streets according to the Government Delegation.
Hundreds of teachers and students have gathered at the beginning of Atocha Street, in the center of the city. In front, with yellow t -shirts, the Masters of Early Childhood Education have led the demonstration. Rosa Marín, spokesman for the Labor Platform Infantiles Schools, highlights the importance of protest: “We are the most divided sector,”. Around him, his companions advance to the song of “we save the future for four hard.” Marín adds: “If they leave, we double.”
It refers to teachers and students from universities and institutes, who go behind. Among them, Luis Lloredo marches, by the hand of his little daughter, like many others who have left this Thursday afternoon. He is a professor of Philosophy of Law at the Autonomous University of Madrid. To illustrate the lack of resources in higher education centers, he says that in his office “in winter the heating comes and goes.”
But it emphasizes that the problem is the quality of education: “This year I have 140 students, how do I evaluate everyone?” He asks. According to this teacher, the quality of the teaching is sustained thanks to the effort of the staff, but at a very high price: “There are huge levels of anxiety,” he says.
Although last December the rectors managed to increase the planned budget from 0.9% to 4.2%, the resources they are currently obtained are the same as in 2009, and this without counting inflation. The financing model has taken 15 years to return to those numbers. This was stressed by the acting rector of the Autonomous University of Madrid, during an event held with the other five responsible last Tuesday.
The investment allocated by the Isabel Díaz Ayuso community is far behind the Spanish average. While Madrid allocates 5,900 euros per grade student – a 0.40% of GDP -, the average in the rest of the country is 7,000 euros – almost 0.7% of GDP.
The situation not only affects the students’ pocket – which pays the second most expensive registration in the country, only behind Navarra – but is also significantly modifying the university landscape. The IE University, which for practical purposes already works in the capital,.
The devaluation of Madrid universities has led the rector of the Complutense, Joaquín Goyache, to describe as “obligation” the protests that occur in their faculties. He did it in the act of Tuesday, in front of the Minister of Education, Emilio Viciana. “Infrafinance is a problem that takes too long,” the rector lamented. I have nothing to object [a la manifestación]but quite the opposite. ”
Among the protesters have been present politicians of different parties. This is the case of the Secretary General and Deputy of Podemos, Ione Belarra, who has denounced that “the Community of Madrid has become an authentic neoliberal laboratory, where education workers must supply with their personal commitment the bad working conditions,” as EFE has collected.
The teachers of the primary and secondary stages have also echoed on the road to the Puerta del Sol, where the demonstration has ended. Dozens of teachers sang between banners with slogans such as “no more exploitation, we want solution”, “with those ratios we are not even in the patio” or “education is a right, not a business.”
Andrea Ordóñez, history professor at the Humanes Institute, considers the fact that all sectors of education have come out again after the April 28 call was postponed by the blackout. “From zero years to higher education it is essential that we go together, we are the same sector,” he says. And explains one of the biggest problems suffering from primary and secondary education: “According to international organizations there must be at least one counselor for every 250 students,”.
For Ordonez, the scenario lived by Madrid education is producing a “worsening of the mental health of teachers, especially from the workload in non -teaching hours.” Madrid is the only community that retains the 20 school hours applied as an emergency measure after the 2008 crisis, but the regional government has reached an agreement with the main unions to lower the hours to 18 between 2028 and 2029. The history teacher believes that this agreement is a step back: “It is not only insufficient, but a setback with respect to the claims of the teacher body,” he explains.
Although it is exam time, many have emboldened with the number of people who have gathered the call. Aimara García, a fourth year student of the Degree of Sociology in the Complutense is one of them. “It is good to see that we have re -adapted after the blackout,” he says smiling. Others, however, are less optimistic. “The truth is that I do not have much hope, but at least we come,” argues the retiree María Pilar Roa Sánchez, an exprofesora of Greek in an institute.
