Tenerife School Canteen Crisis Sparks Outcry Over Staffing Shortages

The school canteen crisis in southern Tenerife has reached a breaking point, exposing deep flaws in how the Department of Education manages non-teaching staff. The situation at CEIP Fañabé in Adeje, which was forced to suspend its canteen service this Wednesday, is just the latest in a series of disruptions affecting at least a dozen schools since the start of the academic year.

This is not a temporary glitch but a chronic issue. Schools such as CEIP Granadilla de Abona, Teobaldo Power, CEIP Almácigo, CEIP Tamaimo, CEIP José Esquivel, and CEIP La Cumbrita are all struggling with unfilled vacancies. Because there aren't enough support staff, the burden of supervising children is falling unfairly on teachers, administrators, and parents. Frustrated by the situation, families have launched a Change.org petition that has already gained over 7,000 signatures.

The Department of Education, led by Poli Suárez, blames the crisis on difficulties with employment lists and a lack of candidates willing to take part-time roles in more remote areas. However, parent associations (AMPAs) argue that the system is broken, noting that many local people are interested in these jobs but are never contacted by the authorities. They believe poor working conditions and a lack of long-term planning have turned the service into a series of unreliable, temporary fixes.

The impact goes beyond just school meals; it is severely affecting the work-life balance of families in the south, many of whom work in the hospitality industry. For many students, the canteen is a vital source of nutrition, and service interruptions—which have even led to the cancellation of some school bus routes—are creating an inequality in access to public services. With no permanent solution in sight, families are threatening to take their protests directly to the Department’s headquarters, demanding a complete overhaul of the hiring system to ensure these positions are filled reliably.