Canary Islands PSOE denounces neglect of students with special needs
Manuel Hernández Cerezo warns of a chronic situation that harms the most vulnerable pupils and overloads teachers
Manuel Hernández Cerezo, the PSOE deputy for Fuerteventura in the Parliament of the Canary Islands, has condemned the “grave, repeated and unresolved” conditions faced by students with Specific Educational Support Needs (NEAE) on the island, especially in Enclave Classrooms. He attributes the problem to a lack of human resources, material supplies, and proper planning by the educational administration.
“Fundamental positions are not filled on time, appointments arrive after the school year has started, and contracts end in June, creating permanent instability that directly affects students.”
Hernández Cerezo praised teachers for keeping the system afloat through extraordinary effort:
“There are teachers who take on additional full‑day shifts, covering duties that are not included in their schedules or labor contracts, simply so that students are not left unattended. This cannot continue to rely on overexertion and personal responsibility of the teaching staff.”
He also highlighted the absence of basic equipment in newly created enclave classrooms—no internet connection, no digital whiteboard, and lacking even minimal infrastructure—while educators are expected to apply inclusive methodologies such as Universal Design for Learning:
“You cannot demand educational innovation when not only equipment but the most elementary resources are missing. It is a contradiction that generates frustration and burnout.”
The deputy warned that families feel institutional abandonment:
“Families of NEAE students feel they have to fight alone to have basic rights respected. They watch months and years pass while the problems remain unsolved.”
He pointed out that the Island Education Directorate of Fuerteventura, which reports to the Canary Islands’ Ministry of Education, should be fully aware of this recurring, structural issue. Yet the continued lack of solutions raises doubts about effective monitoring at the island level.
Lack of Specialized Professionals in Enclave Classrooms
Occupational therapists are virtually absent from schools with enclave classrooms. Most centers have no such professional.
“The intervention of an occupational therapist is not only necessary for students with motor difficulties but also for other profiles, such as those with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), for whom this figure is equally crucial for development, autonomy, and participation in school.”
Educational aides: Enclave classrooms that require them should have more than one aide, and schools lacking any should incorporate them immediately.
“There are classrooms with high complexity that cannot be adequately attended with a single aide—or with none at all. Personalized attention and student safety cannot depend on clearly insufficient resources.”
Speech and language teachers: Greater presence in enclave classrooms and an increase in weekly intervention time with students are also demanded.
Hernández Cerezo called for stable and anticipatory planning of resources for NEAE students in Fuerteventura:
“Educational inclusion cannot be based on patches or the goodwill of teachers. It requires political commitment, sufficient resources, and an administration that lives up to the families and students it claims to protect.”