The Ministries of Education and Vocational Training and Science, Innovation and Universities call the Observatory of Scholarships and Aids to Study and Academic Performance. This is the second time that this advisory body meets, in which the educational community, including the non-university community, has representation.
The meeting was chaired by the Secretary of State for Education and FP in office, Alejandro Tiana, and by the Secretary of State for Universities, Research, Development and Innovation in functions, Ángeles Heras.
"It is the will of the Government to advance a policy of equal opportunities and equity and, therefore, the Observatory has met for the second time." At this time, it is necessary to study and design a system of scholarships and aid to advance in that equity and that favors the maximum number of students ", explained Tiana.
"The current political situation, with the budgets carried over from 2018 and with the Government in office, has prevented the ministries of Education and VT, and of Science, Innovation and Universities from undertaking, until now, as was our common wish, the broad and important reform that the current system of scholarships and study aids needs ", highlighted Heras.
The Government has listened to the educational community, both in the first constitutive meeting, chaired by the Minister of Education and Vocational Training, Isabel Celaá, and by the Minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Pedro Duque, held on December 19, as through a working group, with which information on the reform of the scholarship and study aids system has been exchanged.
At the meeting on Tuesday the debate was resumed and the draft of the Royal Decree of Thresholds was presented, which establishes the scheme for scholarships and grants for the study of the 2019-2020 academic year. The Royal Decree establishes, annually, the economic thresholds and other requirements necessary to obtain a scholarship or study aid.
Prepared by the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training and by the Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, this regulation includes two novelties. On the one hand, it will be published several weeks, which serves a historical demand of the educational community to advance the calendars. Thus, the Government in office avoids the damage that a delay would cause in the students receiving the scholarships and grants.
On the other hand, the initial budget of 1,470 million euros will be expanded as necessary to be able to serve 17,000 fellows who will receive a larger scholarship, under the reforms introduced in the calculation of the Income Tax of the Physical Persons by Law 6/2018, of July 3, of the General Budgets of the State for 2018.
In addition, during the meeting of the Observatory, the studies carried out so far by the ministries and other institutions for the transformation of the scholarship system and its future implementation have been presented.