Benidorm allocates 155,000 euros to promote social, educational and maintenance actions in educational centers

The Local Governing Board of Benidorm City Council approved this week the Municipal Cooperation Loans program for Educational Centres, direct aid totalling €155,000 that will, once again, finance educational, social, and facility maintenance and improvement activities in the city's twenty publicly funded educational centres.

Specifically, the Municipal Cooperation Loans will reach 13 public primary schools, the private-subsidised school, five secondary schools, and the Adult Education Centre, which, according to Councillor for Education Maite Moreno, "together have an enrollment of nearly 11,000 students."

Moreno emphasized that these grants “bear the 100% Benidorm seal” and that, with them, “year after year, we contribute to reducing the expenses that these activities can entail for the twenty local centers that offer the second cycle of Early Childhood Education, Primary, Secondary, and Adult Education.” He also announced that the guidelines governing the awarding of these grants were approved last Monday and that, therefore, the expectation is that these amounts “will be disbursed over the next few days.”

Among the activities that can be financed through these grants are “the educational and cultural activities that each center programs during the school year, such as group educational outings, extracurricular training, and school exchanges; and also projects focused on addressing the socioeconomic needs of families in the school setting, such as individual meal assistance or school trips for children whose parents cannot afford them.”

Also included are “facility maintenance costs and the transportation of students to the Children's Traffic Park, where the Local Police teach young children basic traffic rules, signage, and the different types of vehicles.”

The Head of Education explained that “the distribution of these funds is done equitably, taking into account criteria such as the student population of each school and the sociocultural work they carry out for the benefit of the community.” She also emphasized that “it is each school, usually through its school council, that decides which activities, projects, or improvements to allocate the resources assigned each year by the City Council.”

Moreno stressed that “with these Cooperation Funds, the City Council supports local education, schools, and, by extension, families.” “This is a program unique to Benidorm, unparalleled in any other municipality, through which we contribute to developing activities that complement students' school curricula, improve school facilities and infrastructure, and also help families in need.”

Finally, the councilwoman noted that, in addition to this €155,000 investment in Cooperation Credits, the City Council also makes various investments each academic year to maintain and improve educational facilities and infrastructure. “We are committed to quality public education and invest every year to make it possible,” she added.