La Seu d'Urgell approves token funding increase for local university sites

What is the administrations' real commitment to higher education beyond rhetoric? Does a town of thirteen thousand people like la Seu d'Urgell truly value having two physical university sites, and will it be able to make the most of them?

Students in Madrid have been protesting budget cuts they blame on Isabel Ayuso's government. Here, demands have been quieter but persistent: UNED students have asked for more resources, including more in-person tutorials and a better-equipped library. In response, the la Seu d'Urgell city council, a member of the consortium with the Diputació de Lleida and the Government of Andorra, approved a small increase in its budget allocation at last Monday's plenary session.

Mayor Joan Barrera described the move as an "effort" and said the other two administrations had agreed to do the same. The proposal received unanimous backing, and all groups agreed on the need to contribute financially. The CUP councillor Núria Valls, however, expressed reservations about subsidising a public university that already has its own funding, while acknowledging that the centre is a benefit for local residents. ERC spokesperson Francesc Viaplana noted that many neighbours have been able to obtain university qualifications at the UNED. Junts councillor Carme Espuga called for support for every university-level training the city can host.

The actual increase, however, is limited: it amounts to an inflation adjustment (IPC) on the €9,000 portion of the municipal contribution. The total municipal support is €15,000 plus the provision of facilities, so the rise will translate into only a few hundred euros — making the term "effort" seem exaggerated. Barrera says the adjustment responds to a request from the centre; the centre director, María José Moreno, counters that securing even this small increase was difficult and had not been done in previous years.

The other two consortium members contribute substantially more — roughly €80,000 each — so a percentage increase there, even a small one, could be more significant. Whether the modest municipal rise will address students' demands, particularly in the Psychology degree with the largest enrolment and a need for more in-person tutorials, remains doubtful. Moreno says the issue has been raised at faculty level but is hard to resolve: "the centre has no money" for extra tutorials or other projects she deems necessary. She explains that subsidies mainly cover operating costs and that obtaining even the current increase has been a struggle. The centre hopes to attract new patrons, though no steps have yet been taken.

The same questions arise at the other local university site, INEFC-Pirineus. There has been effort and investment in constructing the building, but a university requires more than bricks: adequate facilities, sustainable funding, and conditions that allow staff to work beyond a vocation-driven commitment. Funding is also needed to develop research and to position the centres academically and regionally — developments that would be beneficial for the city and wider comarca.