Adargoma Hernández: Island Council Allocates Over €6 Million in Scholarships and Direct Aid
Interest in Replicating the Fuerteventura Model
The Cabildo of Fuerteventura allocates more than six million euros a year to scholarships and direct assistance for students, reaching roughly 7,500 people on the island. Education, Youth and Sports counselor Adargoma Hernández explained this in an interview on the program La Voz de Fuerteventura on Radio Insular, outlining the scope of the various calls and defending a model that aims to “equalise opportunities” without abandoning the incentive to academic effort.
Hernández described the island’s aid system as organised into several lines that are called progressively throughout the year. The “star” line is the general study scholarship, intended for students both on and off Fuerteventura. It is the broadest programme, concentrating the largest budget—about €4 million—and the greatest number of beneficiaries, after processing roughly 6,800 applications this academic year.
The Cabildo’s model does not rely solely on family income as an eligibility criterion; it also incorporates the students’ academic performance. This formula, he stressed, “serves as an incentive for students to keep striving,” and has attracted the attention of the Canary Islands government.
“They want to take note of this model,” Hernández said, referring to the possibility that the system could inspire future regional education policies.
The goal, he emphasized, is to reach the largest possible number of students and families in an insular context where “double insularity” raises the cost of accessing education. The list of denied and withdrawn scholarships will be published after Easter, with the remaining payments to be completed the following month.
Beyond the general call, the Cabildo runs complementary lines that broaden the reach of assistance, including:
- Mobility scholarships (Erasmus, Séneca) with monthly financial support for vocational‑training and university students.
- Practice scholarships, allowing about a hundred students to undertake paid placements in public administrations and private companies.
- Aid for students with specific needs, channelled through schools.
- Language‑immersion scholarships, covering language courses and stays abroad.
Pending Infrastructure: Art School and Future University Building
In addition to financial aid, Hernández highlighted the structural needs of Fuerteventura’s education system. He pointed out the urgency of providing the School of Art with its own premises, as it currently operates in facilities loaned by the Cabildo in the Fuerteventura Technology Park, which have become too small for existing demand.
He also suggested that this future space could evolve into a School of Art and Design, expanding the island’s educational offer and adapting it to new creative and innovative disciplines.
Parallel to this, Hernández discussed the project to create a multipurpose building for university studies. The initiative is progressing through cooperation among various administrations. The municipalities of Puerto del Rosario, Pájara, and La Oliva have already expressed their willingness to donate land for the new infrastructure, marking a significant step toward defining the project.
He stressed that such initiatives must be developed through institutional consensus and kept free of partisan interests, noting that “education is not a political tool.”
Coordination with Health and Youth Prevention
Regarding youth policy, the counselor outlined work lines linked to training and prevention, especially in collaboration with the Health sector. Joint protocols are being drafted to strengthen training in key areas and to address addiction prevention more effectively among young people.
These actions are part of the II Youth Plan, which includes specific measures to improve the well‑being of the island’s youth from both educational and public‑health perspectives. The plan will be presented soon.