Sánchez attempts to deactivate the Ayuso model through the Universities

MadridLast week, Pedro Sánchez urgently sought to impose certain controls on the proliferation of "university chiringuitos" (university bars). Behind this measure, to prevent the establishment of universities that lack sufficient quality, lies an underlying decision to combat Isabel Díaz Ayuso's ultra-liberal model of giving free rein to centers that provide returns for their investors but contribute little to the education system. "They are the main threat to the working class," stated María Jesús Montero, First Vice President of the Spanish government, a few days ago. The PP has protested the executive branch's move and accuses it of opening a war against private universities.

Madrid is where the most universities have been created in recent years, and there are now 13, more than public universities (6). The fourteenth could be the Open University of Europe (UAE), which has provoked much criticism and has been the final straw. The six public universities in Madrid opposed the proposal en masse, and the final approval of the Madrid Assembly is still pending. "The promoters neither had nor have a defined, high-quality project," warned the unfavorable (non-binding) report from the Ministry of Science and Universities, and Madrid+D, the regional body responsible for validating projects, also saw cracks. "It is not possible to specifically verify the experience of these professors" and "It seems to be a very small structure for the scale of the proposed university project, and there is no research structure that is commensurate" are some of the warnings contained in the report, consulted by ARA, which nevertheless gives a favorable assessment of the proposal.

"Instead of evaluating, Madrid+D acts as a consultancy and says go ahead," criticize sources from the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) in Madrid. The permit for the Open University of Europe is still pending a final vote in the Madrid Assembly, but the opposition believes Ayuso will wait to approve a new university law, only drafts of which have circulated in the media. "It will be the end of the university as we know it," the Socialists lament. Among other issues, this new regulation would force public universities to seek private funding—it would only guarantee them 70% of the budget—which is in line with the financial "suffocation" that public universities report they are suffering from the PP regional government. "Linking research to market needs implies demolishing everything we know as innovation," complains the PSOE.

The dominant theme is that these private universities have a small structure, with inexpensive degrees—they do not offer chemistry, for example, which requires investment in laboratories—and few students, which already provide a quick return. That is why the Spanish government's decree seeks to establish a minimum number of students and three doctorates, among other requirements. Beyond the argument about quality, the left complains about the "social change" this policy could bring about in the next 10 or 20 years. The bottleneck in public education and the laxity with private education contribute to the imbalance that has been developing in Madrid in recent years, where everything the public sector can't offer goes to private education, with all the ensuing consequences. "Who can afford tuition and housing, given the current rental prices?" they note. Despite not being in the majority, the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) points out that this is a way of understanding a phenomenon that is occurring: Large Latin American fortunes move to the Spanish capital and apartments are bought in cash.

A new enemy for Sánchez?

For the time being, existing private universities are not entering the political fray, although the Madrid employers' association has attacked Sánchez's initiative, and Ayuso accuses him of waging "civil war" in all areas. This week, too, Francoist entities have been activated, who want to counter-program the agenda of events commemorating the 50th anniversary of Francisco Franco's death proposed by the Moncloa with initiatives that praise the dictator. Sánchez's list of enemies is long, with a special focus on the judicial right, which keeps a change of sensitivity in the presidency of the second chamber blocked of the Supreme Court and is preparing to discredit a possible endorsement by the Constitutional Court of the amnesty.

On a strictly political level, the fact that Congress was not full has led to a small truce in the ongoing confrontation between the PSOE and the PP at the state level. Furthermore, Donald Trump's announcement of tariffs has caused conservatives to side with the Spanish government in rejecting trade barriers, highlighting Vox's contradictions with its Trumpist alliances. While waiting to see whether the European Union's negotiations with the US administration can prosper and tariffs are lowered, Sánchez is focusing on the international arena with a trip to China and Vietnam this coming week, with the aim of boosting new markets. Anecdotally, there are faculties at the public Complutense University of Madrid with signs in Chinese in the hallways.