Tenerife School Protests After Eight-Week Sign Language Interpreter Shortage
The CCOO union has criticized the Canary Islands' Ministry of Education for failing to provide a sign language interpreter at a Tenerife school for eight weeks, prompting families to organize a protest over the lack of essential support for a hearing-impaired teacher and her students.
The Workers' Commissions (CCOO) union has raised concerns over a significant gap between the Canary Islands' official commitment to educational inclusion and the reality in its classrooms. The union reports that CEIP San Fernando in Santa Úrsula, Tenerife, has been without a sign language interpreter for eight weeks. This service is essential for both a hearing-impaired teacher at the school and the academic progress of her students.
Because the Ministry of Education has yet to provide a solution, families have organized a protest for this Thursday. The union argues that the lack of support not only denies the teacher her right to equal working conditions but also undermines the quality and accessibility of public education.
While regional and national laws require schools to provide reasonable accommodations for staff with disabilities, the CCOO views the situation in Santa Úrsula as a sign of a deeper, systemic issue. The union emphasizes that inclusion cannot just be a policy on paper; it requires consistent, reliable support. By protesting, the school community is calling on the regional government to move beyond promises and ensure that the necessary resources are in place to make inclusion a daily reality.