Staffing Shortages Force Lunch Service Cuts at Tenerife School
Nearly 70 sixth-grade students at CEIP Granadilla de Abona in Tenerife have lost access to school lunch services due to a chronic shortage of dining hall assistants, highlighting systemic staffing failures across Canary Islands public schools.
A crisis in the dining hall service at CEIP Granadilla de Abona in Tenerife has highlighted the ongoing staffing struggles facing public schools across the Canary Islands. According to Diario de Avisos, nearly 70 sixth-grade students will lose access to the school lunch program starting this Wednesday, causing significant disruption for working families.
The problem stems from a chronic shortage of dining hall assistants. School administrators say they have been reporting these vacancies to the Canary Islands Ministry of Education since last October, but have yet to receive an effective solution. The situation reached a breaking point when the school principal, Patricia Corujo, could no longer cover the staff shortages herself due to a medical issue.
While preschool students and those on fee-waiver programs will keep their spots, other sixth-graders must now leave school at 1:30 p.m., regardless of their transportation needs. The school’s PTA has also raised concerns about the overall quality of the service, noting that staff shortages have forced the school to switch to disposable plates and cutlery, which has increased costs without improving the dining experience.
This is not an isolated incident. Cristina Leal, president of the parents' association, noted that schools in areas like Santiago del Teide and Tejina are facing similar issues, pointing to a systemic failure by the regional government to provide adequate staffing. Families will not be compensated for the loss of service, leaving them to scramble to reorganize their work schedules. The school administration has warned that further suspensions could occur if more staff members are absent.
The issue has now entered local politics. The Socialist group in the Granadilla de Abona City Council plans to urge the regional government to fill the vacant positions immediately. They argue that the dining hall is essential for family stability and that its management is the direct responsibility of the Ministry of Education. Meanwhile, school leaders continue to call for a shift to a direct management model, which they believe would allow for better organization and more reliable staffing.