MANIFESTO OF THE VETERINARY PROFESSION AGAINST THE INFLATION OF FACULTIES
The recent authorization by the Generalitat of Catalonia for new Veterinary studies at the University of Lleida, contrary to the opinion repeatedly expressed by the veterinary profession and by veterinary education centers, is yet another example of the adoption of decisions that have no taking into account professional and academic criteria and yes, exclusively reasons of political expediency and local pressures.
The consequences of these decisions seriously harm current and future veterinary professionals because it will oversize the supply of professionals in our country, it will saturate the labor market, increasing unemployment levels and job insecurity, and it will increase the economic deficit of Universities and Spanish administrations.
But it is also a bad example that, unfortunately, could encourage this crazy dynamic of creating new Veterinary studies that are not socially and economically necessary, since the current centers more than cover the demand for veterinary professionals in our country. In fact, the Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) and the European Association of Establishments for Veterinary Education (AEVE), representatives of the veterinary profession and of veterinary education centers at a European level, and responsible for ensuring that Veterinary studies in Europe meet minimum and homogeneous quality standards, they consider that one Faculty for every 7-10 million inhabitants is enough for a Member State to have quality veterinary services and to be able to meet the needs covered by veterinary professionals, both in the public and private sectors.
According to this criterion, in Spain a number of 4 to 6 veterinary education centers would be sufficient, which is considerably far from the 12 that already exist today. Another singular and striking fact of the Spanish situation to review is the existence of 3 private veterinary education centers, a rare fact in different European countries.
An important issue in the current circumstances that our country is experiencing is the high cost involved in creating Veterinary studies, which require the availability of facilities in accordance with European standards. Altogether, an initial investment of about 15 million euros and annual maintenance of between 8 and 10 million. All this makes Veterinary studies one of the most expensive in the Spanish university system: between 9,000 and 12,000 euros it costs to train a student each year. Will the responsible Administrations be willing to make this financial outlay? Does it make sense to make that expense today to train professionals who are not needed?
Every year some 1,200 Veterinary students graduate in Spain, while in the different sectors to which veterinary professionals work, around 600 jobs are generated annually, so that each year there is an excess supply compared to the demand for work, which has caused that in a few years it has gone from being a profession with a reasonable level of unemployment to increasing appreciably and job insecurity that is reaching very worrying levels. If the number of educational centers were to increase, the situation would be even more unsustainable.
The obvious conclusion is that all citizens are paying with their taxes for the training of more Veterinary professionals than the country needs. Is that rational and acceptable in a country that barely has the resources to cover other basic needs?
For these reasons, the Spanish Veterinary Medicine asks the State authorities not to abdicate the regulation of the university system and addresses the regional authorities, competent in the approval of new Faculties, so that they stop a drift that could become an undesirable situation. for a health profession closely related to public health.
The president of the General Council of Veterinary Colleges of Spain demands that the state authorities not abdicate the regulation of the Spanish university system
JUAN JOSÉ BADIOLA DECLARES THE INFLATION OF VETERINARY SCHOOLS IN SPAIN AS UNACCEPTABLE
“An unacceptable inflation of Veterinary Schools has been created. For this reason, we ask the State authorities not to abdicate the regulation of the university system and we are addressing the regional authorities to stop a situation that is becoming unsustainable and will degrade the socio-labour conditions of their veterinary professionals", said the president of the General Council of Veterinary Colleges, Juan José Badiola, commenting at a press conference on rumors about projects to open new centers in Spain.
“Veterinary medicine is not a unique case, added Badiola. There is also inflation of university training centers in the health field, which is not understandable in a situation like the current one, in which governments are concerned about reducing the public deficit”.
The president of the General Council of Veterinary Colleges insisted on the economic inconsistency of new projects. “The cost of creating a Faculty is about 15 million euros and its maintenance between 8 and 10 million per year. Two questions then arise: is the Administration really willing to make this financial outlay? And in the current economic situation, does this expense to train professionals who are not needed make sense?
Badiola recalled that the four historical Faculties (Madrid, Zaragoza, Córdoba and León), "that geostrategically covered the needs of veterinary studies in Spain" tripled in the eighties, which gave rise to the fact that there are currently twelve.
He then mentioned the case of the University of Lleida. “A few years ago he created the title of Animal Science and Health, which was unparalleled in Europe. Now it has turned it into a Veterinary Degree despite the fact that the Faculty of Barcelona more than covers the needs of these professionals. We suggested that they bet on professional postgraduate degrees, which Veterinary Medicine does need, which was not taken into account”.
Juan José Badiola also stated that it is necessary to make a report on the demands of health professionals for the coming years. “We are talking about a long, difficult and expensive career and we wonder if it makes sense to create more Faculties when the current ones are generating a number of professionals greater than what is needed in Spain. Veterinary medicine -he commented next- also has the singularity of being the only career in Spain that needs a European accreditation as it is probably the most regulated profession in the EU. Its health implications are relevant and affect all citizens. A Spanish veterinarian who signs a document certifying that a food is consumable signs a safe-conduct of the same for the entire EU.
The European Federation of Veterinarians, Badiola concluded, considers that a Veterinary Faculty is necessary for every 7 to 10 million inhabitants. “In Spain between 4 and 6 Faculties would be needed. And we already have 12”. After comparing the data on the number of Faculties in neighboring countries, the population and the importance of their farms (see attached document), he wondered if it makes sense for us to move away from the European reality.
communication Department
General Council of Veterinary Colleges of Spain
communication@colvet.es
NEWS FOLLOW-UP NEW FACULTIES
http://www.laverdad.es/murcia/201412/04/decanos-veterinaria-piden-frene-20141204213145.html
http://www.ibercampus.es/los-decanos-de-veterinaria-se-oponen-a-cinco-nuevas-facultades-29148.htm
http://www.laopiniondemurcia.es/murcia/2014/12/07/veterinaria-lidera-lucha-evitar-abran/609730.html
http://elpais.com/elpais/2014/12/06/opinion/1417886073_503032.html
Veterinarians will protest this Wednesday throughout Spain to prevent the opening of new Faculties
The AEMAVE shows the rejection of the opening of new Veterinary Faculties (view pdf )
Veterinarians protest this Wednesday to prevent the opening of new Faculties
http://www.elmundo.es/baleares/2014/12/14/548d7e4222601d8b428b4572.html
Badiola ASKS to stop the opening of new Veterinary Faculties
Colleges of Veterinarians Request that the opening of New Faculties be stopped
Inflation of Veterinary Schools
The Deans of Veterinary Medicine reject the opening of the New Faculties
Veterinary Rebels against the opening of five New Faculties in Spain
The UMU rejects the Implantation of Veterinary Medicine in a private Center in Alicante
The Veterinary Faculty of the UMU leads a Mobilization against the opening of 5 new faculties
Veterinarians rebel against the opening of another five Faculties
No more Veterinary Schools (article by Rouco, Lorenzo and Pla in El País)
The UMU Faculty of Veterinary Medicine leads the fight to prevent more centers from opening
Deans of Veterinary Medicine oppose five new Faculties
Veterinarians, against the opening of new Faculties
The COVM will participate in the mobilization to fight against the opening of new Faculties
