The Canary Islands Government's Department of Education, Vocational Training, Physical Activity, and Sports has launched the largest simultaneous construction project ever undertaken in the archipelago's network of public schools during the summer months. The regional department is allocating over €21 million to carry out a total of 420 projects across 293 facilities on all eight islands. The aim is to modernize the facilities, adapt the schools to current climate conditions by creating shaded areas and green spaces, renovate sports equipment, remove asbestos, and repair damage caused by recent storms. This strategic plan includes an inter-administrative cooperation model with local councils focused on expediting specific interventions at the municipal level.
In this context of institutional collaboration, Regional Minister Hipólito Suárez presented the new cooperation agreements signed with five municipalities on the island of Gran Canaria, highlighting in particular the agreement reached with the San Bartolomé de Tirajana City Council. Thanks to this specific agreement, the municipality will receive a direct contribution from the Regional Ministry of over €1.600.000, which will be directly complemented by a municipal investment of €1,2 million. This joint budgetary alliance will allow the mobilization of more than €2,8 million, earmarked entirely for undertaking the long-awaited expansion of the El Tablero-Aguañac Secondary School.
The mayor of San Bartolomé de Tirajana, Marco Aurelio Pérez, praised this institutional agreement as the direct result of the ongoing work carried out throughout the current legislative term between the two public administrations. The urban development and infrastructure project, which is already in the bidding phase, includes the construction of new specialized classrooms for high school students, a new gymnasium adapted to the students' physical activity needs, and a modern cafeteria. With these structural improvements, the El Tablero school will address long-standing deficiencies and have completely modern, functional facilities that meet the actual needs of its educational community.
Pérez emphasized that this agreement is "the fruit of the work carried out throughout the legislative term" between the City Council and the Regional Ministry, and recalled that the project originated after one of Poli Suárez's first official visits to the municipality to learn about the high school's needs. He also stressed that the project will fulfill a long-standing demand of the educational community by transforming a former primary school into a high school with modern facilities suitable for students, and expressed his gratitude for the collaboration between both administrations throughout the process.
The project in San Bartolomé de Tirajana is part of a much broader island-wide strategy that is mobilizing nearly four million euros for fifteen educational centers spread across five municipalities in Gran Canaria, including Agaete, Artenara, Valsequillo, and Santa Lucía de Tirajana. The model promoted by the Directorate General of Infrastructure and Equipment aims to empower the municipalities themselves to manage and expedite the completion of works long demanded by local schools and institutes, taking advantage of the summer holidays to minimize disruption to students and teachers.
At the regional level, the investment effort ranges from the creation of shaded areas in 62 schools and greening projects in 55 schools to the improvement of Special Education Classrooms to promote inclusive education and the repair of damage caused by adverse weather events. With the comprehensive transformation of the El Tablero-Aguañac Secondary School in San Bartolomé de Tirajana, the southern municipality is taking a definitive leap forward in its public education network, consolidating a key infrastructure for the future education of young people in the region.
