The government delegate in Galicia, Pedro Blanco, highlighted today the commitment of the Government of Pedro Sánchez to equal opportunities in access to studies, especially for boys and girls, increasing by 59% the investment of scholarships in Galicia.
Pedro Blanco reported that in this course “54,000 Galicians and Galicians study with scholarships granted by this Government, in which we invest 132 million euros”. And he remarked that “it is 50 million euros more than in the last course of previous governments”.
The delegate addressed this morning the future impact of the call of the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, in a meeting with the head of the Education area of the Government Delegation, Xosé Lois Carballido, and with the head of the High Educational Inspection, José Manuel Alfeiran. “To this amount destined for the stock exchanges we must add the tuition fees that all these people saved, and that raise the figure contributed by the Government to the future of these boys and girls by several million euros,” said Pedro Blanco.
Thanks to this budgetary increase, the Government of Spain increased by more than 47% the average amount of the Ministry’s stock exchanges in Galicia since the 2017/2018 academic year, in such a way that Galician families went from receiving on average 1,792.32 euros in the 2017/2018 academic year, to 2,637.44 euros in the last closed call, of the 2023-2024 academic year.
Likewise, the delegate pointed out that since the arrival of the Government of Pedro Sánchez, the amount of aid for people with specific educational support needs tripled in Galicia, from 6.5 million to the more than 17 million euros that benefit 11,382 people.
What's new for the next course
Pedro Blanco said that the general call, which will open this March, will have an investment of 2,544 million euros, the highest figure in history, which is “80% more than the last approved by the government before that of Pedro Sánchez.”
Blanco stressed that the call 2025/2026 delves “into the equality of opportunities that we always intend, especially thinking about our young people and girls, and, above all, with the aim that new students do not have to abandon their training and studies due to economic limitations”.
Regarding the new call, the delegate meant two important innovations. The first is the increase of 200 euros in the amount of residence, a measure with great impact on the rural of Galicia due to the population dispersion. With this increase, next year the amount of the part of residence will rise to 2,700 euros. Another novelty is that which benefits people who study higher studies of artistic teachings, “that this course will be considered to all intents and purposes university students” thanks to the Law of Artistic Teachings approved last year.
In this way, “students of higher studies of schools of design and crafts or conservatories will be able to access the scholarships under the same conditions as the rest”.
The delegate stressed that this call consolidates the increases in amounts from previous years and the improvement of the management of scholarships, to ensure that students know the amount of their aid before starting the course, “something that previously did not happen”. He recalled that the Ministry of Education addressed far-reaching reforms in the management of the stock exchanges to ensure compliance with demands that were historically demanded by both students and universities,” and highlighted the work of Minister Pilar Alegría to consolidate these reforms.