Santa Cruz Expands Free After-School Program to High Schools

The Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council has approved a new contract for free after-school educational and sports activities. This decision was made at a Government Board meeting last Tuesday. For the first time, these activities will be available in public high schools, as well as the city's Infant and Primary schools.

Councillor for Education and Youth, Charín González, explained that the goal is to ensure these services continue. For schools, this means offering more hours of activities. It also aims to help families balance work and childcare, and to reduce students missing school or dropping out early. The new contract is set to begin on March 1st and will run for several years, from 2026 to 2028, with a budget of 903,556 euros.

González further explained that these after-school activities will be offered in all 36 Infant and Primary schools, as well as the city's public high schools. To ensure consistency and quality, each of the city's five districts will have a dedicated coordinator. This will help unify the planning for all programmed activities.

This service will be fast-tracked to prevent any breaks. Its aim is to help students develop fully, reduce absenteeism and early school leaving, and encourage local sports and educational values. The councillor emphasized that this contract is in the public's best interest, as stopping the service would directly impact students, their families, and how schools are run. She added that it also fully complies with all state and regional regulations for education and sports.