The President of the Junta de Andalucía, Juanma Moreno, has stated that the Andalusian government is tackling the challenges of higher education with the aim of turning them into opportunities. He also emphasized that the Andalusian university system is undergoing a significant transformation to make it more effective, efficient, competitive, internationalized, and accessible, in order to meet the demands of society and the labor market.
«Andalusia aims to be a reference in university policy thanks to the structural reforms being carried out, processes in which I want to thank the Rectors for their collaborative attitude, which has led to important agreements. It has not been easy, but it has been possible,» he added.
He also pointed out that Andalusia now has a funding model that aims to provide certainty for the ten public universities in Andalusia, and highlighted that since 2019, funding for the system has increased by 26%, approaching 1% of GDP.
He indicated that the budget growth path continues in 2025, reaching €1.726 billion thanks to the new funding model. «Both the Andalusian government and the universities themselves must make an effort in budgetary balance, be efficient in spending, and effective in management.»
The Andalusian President, who participated in the inaugural session of the General Assembly of the Conference of Rectors of Spanish Universities (CRUE) held at the Pablo de Olavide University in Seville, highlighted an achievement such as all eight Andalusian provinces having a Medicine Degree, a milestone that will gradually help alleviate the shortage of doctors in Spain.
Juanma Moreno greets the president of CRUE and Rector of the Universitat Jaume I, Eva Alcón.
It is also expected that before the end of the term, new laws will be approved to consolidate the transformation of the system, such as the new University Law, which will meet the demands of our time, and another on Science in line with the commitment to innovation and supporting researchers.
Furthermore, he mentioned the renewal of the Courses Map after fourteen years with a frozen offering and the approval of a total of 188 courses for the period 2025-2028. «In this necessary adaptation, higher education had to take a bold and decisive step. Together, once again, we have made it possible, through exemplary social dialogue.»
In this regard, he emphasized that next year, Andalusian universities will offer courses on artificial intelligence or data science, in addition to topics related to sustainability.
Family photo of participants and attendees at the CRUE event at UPO.
Moreno noted that, similar to what is being done in Vocational Training, Andalusian universities must be flexible and interdisciplinary, opening up to the new profiles increasingly demanded by companies. «We work to have an even stronger public university system, more competitive, with investment approaching that of the leading universities, and to make it possible, we need the commitment of all Public Administrations and also of the Government of Spain, in accordance with what is established by the Organic Law of the University System (LOSU).»
The event was attended by the Minister of University, Research and Innovation, José Carlos Gómez Villamandos, the president of CRUE and Rector of the Universitat Jaume I, Eva Alcón, and the Rector of the Pablo de Olavide University, Paco Oliva, among others.