The LOSU is approved: the starting signal for the reform of the university

The Plenary Session of Congress has voted today the third university reform in democracy, which repeals the LOU in force for 22 years, and which seeks to improve the quality of the university, incorporate mechanisms to end the precariousness of personnel and increase funding for the system college at 1% of GDP.

Oliver Thansan
Oliver Thansan
10 March 2023 Friday 14:04
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The LOSU is approved: the starting signal for the reform of the university

The Plenary Session of Congress has voted today the third university reform in democracy, which repeals the LOU in force for 22 years, and which seeks to improve the quality of the university, incorporate mechanisms to end the precariousness of personnel and increase funding for the system college at 1% of GDP.

The Organic Law of the University System (LOSU) has been approved by 182 votes in favor, 157 against and 8 abstentions.

LOSU has been defended in plenary session by the Minister for Universities, Joan Subirats, who has highlighted that this regulation, initiated by his predecessor Manuel Castells, allows campuses to face the challenges of the future. "I am convinced that this law allows universities to face the current challenges of the change of era we are going through with guarantees of success and also consider their future both in the short and long term" the minister stated.

Thus he has underlined the most relevant points. The improvement of access to the system by students (with more scholarships and with limits on the price of degrees and masters), the commitment to increase funding, the commitment to democratization in governance, the end of precariousness and the guarantee of the stability of the academic career, the internationalization strategy and the recognition of the new academic offer of short training courses.

For its part, the Popular Party has considered that "This is not the law that Spanish universities need, nor the one they expected, they do not deserve it, it complicates it and makes everything more expensive", as highlighted by Maria Jesús Moro, from the Party group Popular. "And on top of that, it doesn't solve precariousness: associates on strike, worried postdocs, those who were terrified of being promoted...", she pointed out.

These are some of the keys:

Financing

The law sets the objective of raising financing to the university system to 1% of GDP within a period of 7 years. It is currently estimated to be at 0.7%. This commitment, which is presented as a shared purpose between the autonomous communities and the State, has caused the protest of some autonomies, which are the ones that assume most of the financing of their universities. The deputy Moro, of the PP, has criticized the lack of economic memory and because it is a "I invite and you pay". Universities have demanded this increase in funding, necessary to stabilize staff, reduce false associates, which is also required by law.

The minister has pointed out in the Chamber that the objective is already being discussed in a commission created within the General Conference of University Policy (composed of ministry and autonomies) and the Conference of Rectors (Crue).

Microcredenciales

The law recognizes the population's need for training throughout their working life and during the retirement period. to do so, it introduces micro-credentials, short-term training that will be recognized by universities. This new academic offer requires, according to the rectors, flexibility and less regulation than the one that weighs on the offer of degrees, masters and doctorates.

In this sense, Josune Gorospe, from the EAJ-PNV group, has highlighted the importance of including people without a previous university degree but with professional skills recognized by their experience in accessing these micro-trainings. These formations may be approved within the European Space.

maximum prices

The law grants the General Conference of University Policy to establish maximum limits of the public prices of degrees, masters and doctorates. They can only be maintained or reduced, but not raised. Universities have been reducing university fees for two years. 5% of the places must be reserved for people with disabilities.

scholarships

The subjective right to receive aid and scholarships is recognized. In this sense, the representative of the united groups Podemos and the CUP, Gerardo Pisarello, indicated that the regulation is in line with the Government's will to improve access to university, highlighting that the Executive has made the highest grant of scholarships of history (2,500 million euros).

Personal

The employment path of the teaching staff is recognized, although it is limited in the staff: "the official teaching staff will be the majority".

In addition, it forces campuses to reduce temporary employment to 8% of their staff. This implies facing the problem of "false associates", figures who hide real academic careers and are not temporary professionals, recognized for their experience, with jobs outside the university.

Associate professors of Health Sciences and PhD assistant professors are excluded from this obligation. Architects are fighting to get this exception too.

Language

The law indicates that universities "will promote and facilitate the knowledge and use of their own co-official languages", in accordance with the provisions of their statutes, linguistic co-official regimes and specific plans in this regard. It will be the language of academic transmission.

Linguistic singularity will be financed. In this sense, both ERC and PNV welcomed the fact that the use of their own language is not only promoted, but also reinforced, and they highlighted the possibility of carrying out mobility programs such as Erasmus in Galician, Basque and Catalan.

internationalization

The LOSU involves universities in promoting the internationalization of teaching, research, transfer and exchange of knowledge, training and their study plans, as well as their international accreditation, especially in the European Higher Education Area. . The creation and participation in inter-university alliances, shared titles with foreign campuses and the international mobility of students, professors and PAS are encouraged.

chancellor election

The duration of the mandate will be six, and not four years. It will be non-extendable and non-renewable. To run for rector it will not be essential to be a professor, it will suffice to be a workforce as long as the requirements of having three six-year research periods, three five-year teaching periods and four years of university management experience in a one-person position are met. The rector will be elected by universal suffrage weighted by all members of the university community. The statutes of each university will establish the procedure for its election and will establish the percentages and procedure

of weighting of each sector ensuring to encourage the participation of all levels. The representativeness of civil servant and labor teachers cannot be less than 51%.

Governance has been one of the issues most criticized by certain areas of the university, such as the Social Councils. Thus, in the first draft of the law it was proposed that the rectors could be chosen by an internal committee, outside the university community, as executive figures of recognized prestige and that they would have to render accounts. This is a common governance model in other European countries. The representative of Ciudadanos, Juan Ignacio López-Bas, regretted that this option was dismissed.

cloister debates

The university cloisters, in addition to approving the statutes and designing university policies, will be able to "analyze and debate other issues of special importance", which conservative parliamentary groups have interpreted as the loss of ideological neutrality within the university.

PDI status

The Government must submit within six months, instead of one year, the bill for the Statute of Teaching and Research Staff (PDI).

evaluation agencies

The autonomous evaluation agencies reinforce their functions. Progress is being made so that they are European agencies with full powers.

dual mention

Dual training is recognised, that is, part of the training is carried out in a company, institution, foundation or public administration. This is a model that is especially widespread in the field of Basque universities