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The 13th University Congress of Educational Innovation in Technical Education held in September 2005 in Gran Canaria announces the Second Declaration of Maspalomas
Between September 21 and 23, 2005, several meetings were held in San Bartolomé de Tirajana (Gran Canaria), after which important conclusions were reached regarding the open process of adapting the map of university degrees to the Space European Higher Education. It should be noted that our College of Industrial Technical Engineers of Tarragona adheres to this statement signed in the Canary Islands.
Several groups, among teachers and professionals related to technical teaching, agreed to claim to the Ministry of Education and Science that, in the shortest possible period, set their political proposal in a transparent and precise manner.
This wide representation of Official Associations of Technical Engineers among which was our General Council of Associations of Industrial Technical Engineers plus the Conference of Directors of Schools of Technical Industrial Engineering, also demanded to be able to participate , through representation, in the process of elaborating the guidelines in all the titles of the technical area of the engineering.
One of the aspects that stand out in this communiqué is that in the degree of Degree the professional attributions must be residency in order to characterize the activity in general. Therefore, it is proposed to keep in the titles of the field of engineering the traditional name of Engineer.
The Second Declaration of Maspalomas also includes the consideration that the Degrees of Bachelor's Degree in Engineering must have 240 credits (4 years) included in the same Degree Project and, as the case may be, company practices. In addition, it is necessary to have common training contents at least two thirds of the total credits of the degree.
Regarding the exceptional ability of the Government to regulate some specialization master's degrees, in regards to engineering, it should only be done if the subjects of the master were not subject to the contents of all Degrees of Engineering. In this sense, the Second Declaration of Maspalomas rejects the possibility that some masters may contemplate generalizations of the formation of the degrees of Grau, these being specialties. To that end, they should be called "Master in ..." without the name of the engineer term being included so that it would lead to confusion with the denominations of the Degrees.
This joint statement, in addition to supporting the recommendations made by the State Secretary for Universities and Research published in April this year, is criticized by the latest statement prepared by the Ministry of Education and Science this past month September after a meeting of the committee of experts analyzing the map of university degrees adapted to the European space, also known as the Bologna process.
As it was made public, the Ministry announced a timetable for drafting guidelines. According to this calendar, this month of October 2005, the guidelines for Telecommunications Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Aeronautical Engineering have to be developed in the area of technical education. Surprisingly, the public note does not explain the relationship of titles that will be the object of definition in the following phases with an obvious lack of perspective that is evidenced in the future catalog of degrees.
The official statement from the Ministry also says that "universities will be able to create any official title, thanks to the mentions ...". This is an affirmation that inevitably leads to some important doubts, such as, for example, what we can understand as mentions, possible specializations of undergraduate degrees ?. Apart from this question, it also remains unanswered if the universities can create any official title, thanks to the mentions, and if this one will be valid throughout the territory of the State.
In short, the political position of the Ministry induces the perplexity of all those groups that have signed the Second Declaration of Maspalomas and, like others, have been articulating, structuring and defending a proposal of titles of a degree consistent with the needs of the society of our time.
The Second Declaration of Maspalomas was subscribed by the following groups:
- Conference of Directors of Schools of Industrial Technical Engineering
- Official College of Aeronautical Engineers
- General Council of Official Associations of Agricultural Technical Engineers
- General Council of Official Associations of Architects and Technical Architects
- National College of Forestry Technical Engineers
- General Council of Official Associations of Industrial Technical Engineers
- Associació d'Enginyers Tècnics ICAI
- General Council of Official Associations of Technical Engineers of Mines
- Official College of Naval Technical Engineers
- Official College of Civil Engineers of Public Works
- Official College of Telecommunications Technical Engineers
- Official College of Technical Engineers in Surveying
