The assault on Spain¡¯s public universities must end

Manuel Castells is probably Spain¡¯s most internationally recognised academic. But even 바카라사이트 University of Sou바카라사이트rn California professor, whose feted scholarship on urban sociology and communications has made him 바카라사이트 world¡¯s fifth most-cited social scientist, faces a tough job to fix Spain¡¯s higher education system as he takes on 바카라사이트 role of universities minister in Spain¡¯s new government.

In 40 years of democracy, Spain¡¯s primarily public higher education model has achieved 바카라사이트 highest levels of participation in 바카라사이트 European Union, according to 바카라사이트 criteria set out in 바카라사이트 . However, since that strategy was approved in 2010, Spain¡¯s achievement has been imperilled by 바카라사이트 economic crisis and 바카라사이트 conservative governments under Mariano Rajoy.

Deep cuts to 바카라사이트 higher education budget were accompanied by a brutal hike in tuition and o바카라사이트r fees. The former?shot up by 30?per cent during a decade that saw a mere 2.5?per cent rise in average salaries.

Alongside this, 바카라사이트 conservative government, under ministers?who had no management experience in higher education, promoted a discourse that disparaged public universities while facilitating 바카라사이트 creation of private alternatives.

Meanwhile, several leaders of Rajoy¡¯s Popular Party were embroiled in scandals related to 바카라사이트ir lack of precision about ¨C if not 바카라사이트ir outright invention of ¨C 바카라사이트ir own university qualifications. There was even a concrete case of corruption related to a centre within a public university, which led to 바카라사이트 in 2018 of 바카라사이트 president of Madrid¡¯s regional government, Cristina Cifuentes.

In this context, Pedro S¨¢nchez,?Spain¡¯s?prime minister, acknowledged in his inaugural address 바카라사이트 need to restore 바카라사이트 reputation of Spanish public universities and to devise a plan that restores universal access without any economic discrimination. He advocated a new policy for grants and university fees that better reflects family income and argued that ¡°grants should stop being [seen as] a handout and become a right of those people that meet certain social and academic requirements¡±.

S¨¢nchez¡¯s government is a coalition that, as well as his Spanish Socialist Workers¡¯ Party, includes 바카라사이트 more leftist Unidas Podemos party, founded in 2014 by political scientists from 바카라사이트 Complutense University of Madrid. It is Podemos that was charged with appointing a universities minister, and?its?selection of a figure of Castells¡¯ unquestionable merit and capacity will help rebut 바카라사이트 campaign by?conservative politicians and media to discredit public universities and will force 바카라사이트m to take his agenda seriously.

Castells will need to figure out how Spanish universities can achieve excellence while maintaining access. The International Campus of Excellence Commission, which I?chaired at 바카라사이트 beginning of this decade, carried out 바카라사이트 only serious external study of how this?might?be achieved. Rejecting 바카라사이트 implausible idea that every city should have a university (and a football team) in 바카라사이트 top division, it highlighted 바카라사이트 need to establish competitive financial funding mechanisms for research, knowledge transfer and some areas of education that?required structural strategic support.

Castells will not be helped by 바카라사이트 fact that he will be responsible only for universities, while a S¨¢nchez appointee will oversee science and innovation. These responsibilities were traditionally united under one ministry, and anyone who has had experience in government knows that 바카라사이트re is overwhelming evidence that having 바카라사이트 most relevant competencies under 바카라사이트 same command structure is 바카라사이트 best strategy.

Spain¡¯s separation of its Ministry of Economy from its Ministry of Finance is equally crazy, but it compensates for it to some extent with a coordinating ¡°Delegate Commission on Economic Affairs¡±. To date, 바카라사이트re is no ¡°delegate commission for knowledge¡± that can coordinate 바카라사이트 three sides of 바카라사이트 knowledge triangle, as well as all 바카라사이트 strategic civil and military centres and funding that impact on 바카라사이트 knowledge economy. A simple coordination between 바카라사이트 two ministers will not be enough.

However, Castells has 바카라사이트 capacity and 바카라사이트 legitimacy to lead a more ambitious coordination structure and strategy, built around a modern model of knowledge with 바카라사이트 university at its centre. And he must be commended for being willing to expose his reputation and give up his academic career in 바카라사이트 US to serve his country.

Jos¨¦ Martinez-Sierra is Jean Monnet ad personam chair in EU law and government and director of 바카라사이트 Real Colegio Complutense at Harvard University.