The Ministry of Education will have the largest budget in its history. Basque government it will have almost 3,500 million euros, 7.5% more than this exercise. The increase would represent 10.7 percent because the extraordinary 95 million euros injected into the system due to covid-19 and consolidated as an educational investment were not included. The accounts presented in the Basque Parliament by the Minister of Education, Jokin Bildarratzput emphasis on increasing wages and strengthening templates, while creating new figures, such as digital mentors or socio-emotional consultants. A separate chapter deserves an increase of almost 7% of the item dedicated to the treatment of diversity in the classroom, which will directly affect the employment of more specialists in therapeutic pedagogy for the entire system, as well as specialists in educational support who will deal with the needs of the most vulnerable students.
Kindergartens El Consorcio it will be free from the next course. East stimulation of childbirth and reconciliation is another one of the big headlines that left big numbers making up the accounts for the next financial year. This first cycle of early childhood education will have 61 million euros, 9% more. According to Bildarratz, “excellence in the different educational phases and equality and equal opportunities will continue to be the fundamental axes of the Ministry of Education ahead of 2023. Commitment to an inclusive and plural school requires a firm commitment to policies to be developed”.
Scholarships have been increased
In this sense, the scholarship policy of the Basque government is consolidated: for the non-university phase 132.3 million euros for scholarships and complementary services support, such as transport and school canteens (63.3 million kuna for scholarships and 69 million kuna for canteens and transport). Attention to diversity and students with special educational needs, the Department of Education will invest 44 million euros in the employment of specialist educational support staff. On the other hand, Education will continue to strengthen programs focused on diversity with the aim of “improving school success” with a budget of 47,636,348 euros.
EDUCATION DEPARTMENT BUDGET KEYS
- The Department of Education presents a budget of 3,477.7 million euros, with an increase of 242.7 million euros (+7.5%)
- Free from the Haurreskolak consortium in the academic year 2023/2024.
- Programs focused on diversity and the promotion of learning and innovation, with a donation of more than 80 million euros
- More than 200 million to meet special educational needs
- 107 million euros in scholarships and university and non-university aid
- In vocational training, promotion of active learning methodologies, innovation and internationalization, with a contribution of more than 140 million euros
- In universities and research, 514 million to strengthen the Basque university ecosystem; 362.6 of them are intended for UPV/EHU. Commitment to new research infrastructures of excellence
Academic year 2023-2024. there will be a year in which VI Plan Vasco de FP. Vocational training gets special weight in the budgets as education will increase the money allocated to the staff chapter by 20%. FP maintains the projection of recent years with an increase in the number of students, in the number of groups in different cycles, strengthening guidance in integrated FP centers, both professional and psychopedagogical, with 67 counselors. The digital transformation centers and the implementation of this training through active learning methodologies will absorb more than 151 million euros. The relationship that Basque VET maintains with 166 countries on five continents will also be consolidated thanks to an investment of 5 million euros.
University and science
In the field of universities and science, two chapters stand out: EUR 362 million intended for financing regular activities of UPV/EHU, 6.7% more; and expenditures of 206 million euros in R+D+i development, 12% more than the previous year. The Basque government will give an incentive for basic research and scientific career development of the youngest researchers who strengthen various scholarship programs (46 million euros).
Special mention should be made of the general scholarship for which EUR 26.5 million was awarded and the pre-doctoral and post-doctoral support for which EUR 13.8 million was awarded, which represents An increase of 12.5% compared to 2022. On the other hand, the Basque government will protect the work of the Basque Science Foundation (Ikerbasque), which “will continue to be a fundamental tool and therefore its budget will increase to 35.6 million euros,” explained Bildarratz.
More funds for the Faculty of Medicine
If no other setback occurs, 2023 will be the year when work will begin on the long-awaited Faculty of Medicine and Nursing in Basurt, whose builder (UTE) Medikuntza abandoned its construction because it did not cover its cost due to the increase in raw material prices. As Bildarratz stated in his parliamentary speech, an item related to this strategic project of the University of the Basque Country amounts to 14.6 million euros, three times more than in 2022. The promoter’s withdrawal left an empty tender, which amounted to more than 53.4 million euros. With this additional injection, the university will be able to tender the works that should have started last summer.
Likewise, an item for the started construction of a new building attached to the research center Jose Maria Corta it grew to 6.1 million euros. In addition, in the context of the strategic investment plan for the Basque Country, a special allocation is included for the project of the new building of the BERC Donostia International Physics Center, managed by a physicist Pedro Miguel Etxenike. As a novelty, the budgets include activities under the Strategic Investment Plan for the Basque Country, related to the promotion of the Basque NanoNeuro Network –B3N– for research in nanoneurotechnologies and the Basque Quantum Ecosystem –BQE– for research in quantum computing.
In relation to scientific infrastructures of excellence, your game will increase by 98.5%, reached EUR 16.8 million, and as a novelty, the policy of participation in large consortia of European research infrastructures –ERIC– was strengthened, which includes two new consortia: EMBRCERIC for marine research and EuroBioimaging-ERIC for biomedical imaging research.