Let’s go for the fourteenth. “The project (…), in reality, aims to convert the European Postgraduate Institute (…) into a university. It is noted (…) that the promoters did not have and do not have a defined and quality project for the Open University of Europe. The numerous gaps and deficiencies in this determine (…) that an unfavorable report is issued.”
The Ministry of Universities has rejected the latest private university project in the Community of Madrid, and does so with a report that indicates that the proposal does not have the minimum means or space to establish a university, as announced The Country. But this report, to which elDiario.es has had access, will not be an obstacle to the approval of this center by the Madrid Assembly. If the Executive of Isabel Díaz Ayuso wants, and sources familiar with the process confirm that the process continues, there will be a new private campus in Madrid. In reality it will be a floor of an office building in Alcobendas, as stated in the project, but there will be a new distance university.
It is confirmed, after redoing the initial project, that the promoters did not have and do not have a defined and quality project for the Open University of Europe
Report of the General Conference on University Policy
— Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities
Everything indicates that it will not be the last. The Madrid Executive acknowledged a few months ago that it has received a request from the Catholic University of Murcia (UCAM) to install an attached center in Torrejón de Ardoz, a request that according to the Murcian press has been accepted, and sources close to the Ministry report that The Instituto Empresa (IE) is also preparing its landing in Madrid. Go for the fifteenth. Go for the sixteenth. Meanwhile, there are still six public universities.
The privatization commitment of the Community of Madrid is beginning to have an effect. In recent years, especially since the Esperanza Aguirre governments, the landscape of higher education has undergone a change in the region with the approval of half a dozen new private universities. The effect has been noticeable: since 2015, the last year for which there is detailed data, the universities as a whole have gained 22,000 undergraduate students (from 232,139 to 254,687), but the state campuses today have 9,000 fewer university students than then. The ratio between one network and another has gone from 3.7 to 1 in favor of the public to 2.1 to 1. In the masters the overtaking It occurred two years ago, according to data from the Ministry of Universities.
The European Open University suspends
On April 23, the General Conference of University Policy (CGPU), in which the autonomous communities are present, evaluated the proposal to create the Open University of Europe in the Community of Madrid. In the report issued by the CGPU, the technicians explained that the project “actually aims to convert the European Postgraduate Institute into the first university in Spain affiliated with the Summa Education group.”
The University does not have its own research project and it is insufficient, since it does not specify some important issues such as collaboration with productive sectors or participation in competitive research projects.
Report of the General Conference on University Policy
— Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities
And then they begin to list the flaws that the project has and that would result in a negative recommendation. “The University does not have its own research project, but rather joins the projects initiated by the Summa Education Network,” they write. And it doesn’t even seem optimal to them. “It is insufficient, since it does not specify some important issues such as collaboration with productive sectors or participation in competitive research projects.” The investigation is suspended.
Teaching does not come out very well in the analysis either: “There is a lack of information on the degrees that the university expresses its intention to program, which is why, possibly (…) the number of students in continuing education courses exceeds double the number of students of official education”, something that the regulations prohibit. “The number of students who will undergo continuing training and their own degrees is unknown. Consequently, the PDI (Research Teaching Personnel) staff that will provide these teachings is unknown.”
It did not fare better with the facilities. In addition to confirming the impression that the idea is to convert the IEP into a university (they share a headquarters), “the university space is located in a building that houses other companies and business centers, and its rental regime does not guarantee long-term stability.” term of the university headquarters.” Furthermore, “the spaces and infrastructure to carry out the research activity are not accredited. All laboratories are virtual.” And the technicians conclude: “The limited nature of the physical headquarters does not allow, in the medium term, the permanent establishment of necessary spaces, such as offices and seminars or laboratories.”
The economic analysis follows the same line. “The cost that the teaching will have for the students is unknown,” the report begins. “The figures for investments are surprising due to their small size,” he continues.
With these points, the text concludes, “it is confirmed, after redoing the initial project, that the promoters did not have and do not have a defined and quality project for the Open University of Europe. The numerous gaps and deficiencies of this determine the proposal of the General Conference of University Policy to issue a report unfavorable to the recognition file of the Open University of Europe.
The number of students who will pursue continuing training and their own degrees is unknown. Consequently, the staff of Research Teaching Staff that will teach these teachings is unknown.
Report of the General Conference on University Policy
— Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities
After reading the report, the communities present at the meeting cast their vote. Of the 14 that did so, ten were negative, among them Galicia, Andalusia, Cantabria, La Rioja, Murcia, Aragón, and the Balearic Islands, all of them governed by the PP. The case of Andalusia is striking, which had no qualms about authorizing the creation of the Atlantic-Mediterranean Technological University (Utamed) despite having up to three reports against it for not complying with the regulations (including that of this same CGPU).
The battle for quality
Since Manuel Castells arrived at the head of the ministry (now also of Science and Innovation, the last legislature only of Universities), this department has embarked on a battle against pseudo-universities with the aim of guaranteeing a minimum of quality in all centers, both newly created and existing ones. His successor, Joan Subirats, continued the crusade, and now also the socialist Diana Morant. It cannot be said that they are winning.
Sources from the Castells ministry explained in 2020 that they had a proposal for new universities on the table with an initial share capital of 3,000 euros. “You can’t build a university like that,” they reasoned. The focus was on the new proposals for exclusively distance universities. And Castells updated the Royal Decree on the creation, recognition, authorization and accreditation of universities and university centers
With the new norm, the conditions to have the category of University were tightened. The minister’s decree sought for the centers to be more than machines for issuing degrees, especially master’s degrees, which are more expensive. It requires a minimum number of degrees in different areas to be taught, three doctorates (they are expensive and many universities do not offer them), the majority of its students must be undergraduates and not postgraduates, and it must dedicate 5% of its budget to research ( It is also expensive and does not guarantee a return) and another series of provisions so that “universities are universities.”
The consequence in case of non-compliance is to lose the status of a university. At that time, only 12 of the 81 universities that existed met all the requirements demanded by the new RD, none of them private. But since the regulations also affect existing campuses, they were given a period of five years to comply. Even today, projects that do not reach the minimum are slipping through that crack. Since the text was approved, several private universities have been approved – no public one has been built since 1998 – in different regions, including Galicia, Andalusia, Euskadi or Madrid.
The key is, as has happened in the cases of the Atlantic-Mediterranean Technological University (Utamed) of Andalusia, which was approved with three reports against it, or this last one from Madrid if its validation is confirmed by the Assembly, in which The powers are held by the autonomous communities. The mandatory report prepared by the Ministry’s General Conference of University Policy on each university proposal is merely advisory, so no matter how devastating it may be – as happens in these two cases – it can be ignored. It’s happening.
The ministry is aware of the problems posed by this distribution of powers. Minister Morant has announced that she is going to tighten the Royal Decree creating centers that Castells already tightened. But this text, still in force, has not even come into force from the point of view that we are still in the moratorium period that gave the centers to adapt.
It remains to be seen if Universities try to make these reports binding and if it is legal for them to do so. Also if, when the time comes, a university is closed that does not meet the minimum requirements required by law, because this possibility was already present in the previous regulations, but was never implemented despite the fact that many campuses did not meet those minimums. Meanwhile, Spain is about to have more private than public universities: in 2000 the balance was 50 state universities compared to 16 private ones. Today it is 50 by 46. It is only a matter of time.
Source: www.eldiario.es
