International Student Movement

May 2012:
Students squat Faculties at the Universidad de la Laguna in the Struggle against Cuts

The following report was sent in by an activist involved in the ongoing occupation on May 23rd:

My name is Florencia, I am one of the students who are occupying the Fine Arts building at the Universidad de La Laguna in Tenerife. Let me explain why we are here.
On April 20th, the Spanish government published a Royal Decree in order to reduce the budget in education by 3,000 million euros, for which the following measures will be taken:

• Controlling the growth of the Universities and the creation of new centers. (We are specially affected by this, since our building is seriously damaged, old, and inappropriate, and they will stop building the new one, that is halfway built by now.)
• Controlling the hiring of teachers (200 professors will be fired in our university alone)
• Roughening the requirements for accessing scholarships. This will make it nearly impossible for students to balance studying and working. Soon only the wealthy will be able to access higher education. 
• Controlling thoroughly the teacher’s research. 
• If Universities overdue the budget they will be fined.
• University fees will rise significantly. Enrollment for an undergraduate degree currently costs around 700/800 euros, but next year it will rise up to 1,900.

These fees only represent about 15% (depending on the region) of the real costs of education. Up till now there was no difference between students, but next year non-European students will have to pay 100% of the real cost (about 7000 euros). We believe this incurs in institutional racism.

• Fees for retaking a subject will also rise. Enrolling for the fourth time now costs approximately 130 euros, but next year it will cost about 670 euros.
• Some degrees are in immediate danger of being eliminated.

There are two facts that can help you understand the real implications of these measures: Spanish minimum wage is 600 euros, and youth’s unemployment rate is beyond 50%.

We find that information about these changes has been obscure and brief; from our faculty we’re trying to inform students and future students about these changes, to try and stop them. Next Monday, another Campus of our University will be occupied, and we intend to keep growing. We believe we are the 7th taken University in our country, amongst Córdoba, Palma de Mallorca (already evicted), Zaragoza, Tarragona, Madrid, and Sevilla.

All these changes have been approved during final exams, so people are still reacting, and communications and coordination between occupied Universities are still slow.

Yesterday, May 22nd, a national strike for all levels of education was called, and demonstrations were held all over the country. The unions state that approximately 80% of the sector joined the strike, but the Minister of Education claims that it was only joined by 22% of it. This scandalizes no one, since the government and the union’s figures don’t usually coincide.

We think Education is a right everybody should be able to enjoy. We will work for that right. We can change things, truly.

more info: edukaution.blogspot.com.es (spanish) + change.org (petition) + facebook.com/Edukaution + twitter.com/edukaution