Minute of the meeting of the Temporary Directors Board of the National Association of University Programmes for Older Adults – Madrid
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Board |
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National Committee |
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Organization |
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University of Alcalá de Henares |
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Attendants |
Justified Absences
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Content |
Order of the day
1)Reading of passing, if it is appropriate, the minute of the previous meeting.
2)Debate of the draft of the document of the Association about the Plan of Training of the IMSERSO and actions that are appropriate.
3)Debate and passing about the document of the recognition of the access to studies leading to official titles of the student body that takes courses of the programmes for older adults.
4) Valuation of the Conclusions of the VI Meeting and actions that proceed.
5) Work calendar of the Association for the Course 2002 – 2003.
1) Reading and passing, if it is appropriate, of the minute of the previous session.
The day 11th of June 2002 at 11:30 hours, in the Meeting Hall of the Faculty of Education (Center of Training of Teachers of the University of Alcalá de Henares) it started the meeting of the Provisional Directors Board of the State Association of University Programmes for Older Adults for treating the reviewed issues in the Order of the Day.
The representatives of the IMSERSO, Lola Zahonero proposes that the order of the day is changed and that it starts treating the second point of the Order of the day given that Esther López has to leave the meeting for working reasons. The attendants show their conformity with the proposal.
2) Debate of the draft of the document of the Association about the Plan of Training of IMSERSO and actions that proceed.
The spokesperson of the University of La Laguna makes a synthesis of the elaborated document (it is attached as appendix 1) and refers to the approaches of the General Director in the meeting of the 15th of March of 2002. Also to the document that in the following days a work group composed by the Universities of the Balearic Islands, Pontifical of Salamanca, Alicante and of Alcalá de Henares, together with the IMSERSO, made and send to the General Director. Next he analysed the proposal that it is debated today. He asked to the spokespersons of IMSERSO for the Training Plan and expresses the uneasiness of some Universities for the present year, the 50% of the compromised. The critics refer to the procedure (lack of official notification and moment in which it is done).
There are two questions to debate: on the one side, the shortcut of the present course and on the other side the draft of the document presented. The spokesperson of the University of Granada asks if it is in the order of the day, clarifying that they can be considered two aspects belonging to the same theme. The spokesperson of the Pontifical University of Salamanca speaks from her non interested posture given that the Programme of this said University is not founded by IMSERSO, that can be accepted from the point of view presented in its day by the General Director in the sense of that the adopted system does not discriminate any University and it adds her complaint for the procedure used for the shortcut of the present year that can put in difficulties some Universities.
The spokesperson of the University of Alcalá de Henares, whose Programme does not receive any founding from IMSERSO either, adds his critic about the shortcuts of the present year, manifesting that he does not find right that the budgetary item is cut when the course is almost finished and, therefore the budgetary quantity will be surely spent. He keeps defending the idea of a transitory period of two or three years, as it was proposed in the first document, to allow the Universities to adapt to the new situation and expresses too the necessity of the IMSERSO to support the implication of other Administrations in the maintenance of these Programmes.
The spokesperson of the University of Alicante adds up to the critic for the procedure used in the shortcut in the present course that can create institutional conflicts in the own universities.
Esther López (IMSERSO) indicates that the answer will be send written to the affected universities. That it exists a budgetary problem, there is no money, given that IMSERSO has had to assume unexpected and extraordinary expenses.
The spokesperson of the University of Granada asks: which aspects or activities will be fund? Social modules inside the programmes? Initiatives in the countryside? Which role could play the research of the I + D calls, given that inside the Programmes researches are being made in which the own older students take part?
The spokesperson of the University of La Laguna points out that we are confront with two different conceptions: the social character of the programmes and the necessity of giving to the older adults an education of university character. They exist, as he presents, orders of international and national organisms about the incorporation of the university training in older adults. As a consequence, both approaches have a place and should have a funding guaranty. He exposes again the hurried of the change, given that the new model is still no consolidated.
Esther López (IMSERSO) presents that the lines on which the Training Plan of the IMSERSO is based on the social modules of the University Programmes, the research carried out from the Programmes or from the Universities, the introduction of new technologies in the training of older adults, the innovation, the Meetings, etc.
The spokesperson of the University of Córdoba adheres to the necessity of defining ideas, lines and criteria of this activity, without losing sight of the fact that it is a formation of university character.
The spokesperson of the Pontifical University of Salamanca points out the danger of funding only the modules or social activities of the Programmes and of including only with the objective of funding subjects or activities of social character, which could distort the nature of the said Programmes, giving place to a situations to see which institutions gets the funding. She is in favour of encouraging the innovative aspects and questions and she brings out what should be understood as bringing the activities of these programmes or similar activities to the countryside. In her opinion it should be well defined what it means by rural, given that it is not the same what is understood by rural in Communities such as Andalusia, in which the populated areas are big, bigger than some cities of other Communities and the countryside of Castilla – León, for example. They are very different realities. Her proposal is that the plans should be funded through annual proposals, in which as many universities as they wish would have the opportunity to participate if they are adjusted to the respective call.
The spokesperson of the University of Granada points out that we should not determine who should be the beneficiary. It depends of the University. She insists in the convenience of taking this initiatives to the countryside and research. Esther López answers that in the IMSERSO research is in a different Area than Training.
The spokesperson of the University of La Laguna intervenes to point out that the funding by IMSERSO to 15 Universities represents a minimal investment that has get excellent results, which it has gone further than the original expectations. An activity such as the one the Universities carry out with the older adults should have a bigger budgetary attention if we take into account the results and effects it produces. He also brings out the possibility of establishing a rotatory plan of funding, so that certain years some universities are funded and others other ones are the receivers. He also believes that IMSERSO as a maximum organ of social politics should turn into a flag bearer with other institutions so that they imply themselves in the support to the university education for older adults. He also defends again the compromise in the World Assembly of Ageing about the incorporation of the older adults to the university education.
The spokesperson of the State Secretary of Education and Universities, in relation with the previous intervention presents it should not be lost sight of the general framework: the learning throughout life, the confluence with the other countries of the European Union and the main role that it gives to the higher education.
The spokesperson of the University of Alcalá de Henares summarises in three aspects the issues to be solved: to define the plan of training in which it should be listen the Universities, to guarantee the funding of the Programmes and to imply to other universities in these activities. It should be never lost sight of the social nature of the university education for older adults and of the value the social projection this education can have in society, with the implication of the older adults in the transmission of their knowledge and experiences in other ambits than the universities.
The spokesperson of the Pontifical University of Salamanca proposes the possibility of strengthening the self-learning that will result less expensive. The spokesperson of the University of Alicante asks IMSERSO to value what they have to do and presents clearly that the Universities does not count with the resources to cope with these Programmes. The education plans should be well define.
Esther López, spokesperson of IMSERSO, points out that probably in the month of July the Education Plans of this institution and that the line is the one pointed out by the General Director: innovations, training of experts, creation of chairs, etc. She proposes that the Universities could hand in a document with proposals.
The spokesperson of the University of La Laguna insists in the fragility of these Programmes. IMSERSO should show a great interest in their consolidation. On the other side, the National Association of University Programmes is a representative organ that should be listened to in the elaboration of the MSERSO Plan. He proposes that a written document is send to IMSERSO showing the disconformity with the policy followed this academic year, that there is a participation in the Education Plan and that IMSERSO assumes the institutional compromise to consolidate these programmes and implicate other administrations.
Around the presented document different interventions are presented: José Arnay, Juan Antonio Lorenzo, María López, in which it is proposed to retouch the points 1 and 3. In all the first part to remove the numeration and make it appears as previous considerations.
Adoración Holgado suggests that the cost of these programmes should be known in an objective manner. To include in the document the development of associations, the intergenerational relationship and the social projection in the society of the persons that have studied these learnings. It is proposed that in point 1 last paragraph remains in this way: “IMSERSO with a low economic support has achieved a high implementation of Universities that nowadays offer Programmes for Older Adults. 5. Taking into account all these considerations, to translate from the ambit of the Association to IMSERSO, to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, to the respective Autonomous Communities and pertinent Administrations the responsibility and compromise with the university formation for older adults.
Related to concrete proposals:
The duty of IMSERSO of supporting institutionally and economically the university education for older adults.
Long-term agreements that warrant the continuity of this education, at least for three years.
This point is taken to the next part.
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Agreement of three years, long-term.
Interchanges, Exchange programmes for students between different universities.
Researches and publications
Permanent education, university learning for older adults.
Associanism.
Assessment of the Programmes.
That those aspects of the first document that have not been included in this draft are gathered up. It is proposed too that these proposals are transferred by the IMSERSO to the Autonomous Communities.
1) Reading and passing, if it is appropriate, of the minute of the last meeting.
In relate to this point, the Secretary of the Association proposes that he is helped to complete the sections of the Minute, given that he does not have the complete information of the previous meeting. He asks that it is send to him to include them.
3) Debate and passing about the document of the recognition of the access to studies conducive to official titles of the student body enrolled in the programmes for older adults.
In this point it is informed of the meeting with the Secretary of State of Education that was very favourable to the petition that it was made to him. It is gathered up next the summary of this said minute:
The day 14th of May 2002, at the request of José Arnay, Secretary of the National Committee, the Secretary of State of Education received to the following members of the National Committee: Adoración Holgado (Pontifical University of Salamanca); Juan Antonio Lorenzo (University of Alcalá de Henares); Bernabé Sarabia (Secretary of the State of Education) and María Dolores Zahonero (IMSERSO). In the meeting two topics were addressed in a climate of excellent welcome by part of the Secretary of State:
Access regulation of the older adults enrolled in the university programmes by older adults to obtain official titles.
Elaboration of the study that collects the situation of the older population and learning necessities.
In relation to the first point, it was exposed to the Secretary of State the petition that the National Committee had made in their meeting in Madrid the previous 6th of November of 2001 so that it was incorporated to the Project of Royal Decree that will regulate the access of persons older than 25 years to the University a section with the possibility of recognise totally or partially the access tests. The Secretary of State embraced the idea and asked to the present persons that it was prepared and given to him through Bernabé Sarabia a more detailed proposal. He pointed out that he accepted with the maximum interest the idea and that even though this processes were slow he would procure they were solved the possible technical and legal difficulties.
In relation to the possibility of elaborate a document in the sense that it is gathered up in the second point, he considered convenient too, although he thought very difficult to be able to fund the research. The members of the Committee present there set out that it was not about funding the work, but to edit it or coedit it with IMSERSO. He asked that a brief project (5-6 pages) was presented to him and he saw it feasible.
In consequence, it is about presenting on one side a more detail proposal to get that the university programmes for older adults can serve to access to other university studies (this should be done as quickly as possible) and to prepare a brief Project to present the MECD and IMSERSO and can make it possible in the following months.
It is agreed to accept the presented draft (it is attached as appendix 2) so that it is given to Bernabé Sarabia and the Register in the MECD.
In relation to the possible scheme of this Project, the spokesperson of the University of Alcalá de Henares to advance the following:
ANALYSIS AND PERSPECTIVES OF THE UNIVERSITY EDUCATION FOR OLDER ADULTS IN SPAIN
Presentation.
Introduction.
The Spanish Society and older adults. (Sociological study).
Present and future of the older population in Spain. A demographical analysis. (State and by Autonomous Communities).
The learning level of the older population in Spain. (Research started from the last census, the researches of the INE and the analysis of the school results that gather the levels of school fail from the compulsory schooling. Also the statistics of Education of the MECD and the Autonomous Communities).
The University and the training of older adults (Concretion of proposals through models – framework. Design of the bases that allow the regulation of this teachings).
The current reality of the university education of the older adults in Spain (The results of the questionnaires of the VI Meeting, actualised, analysed and completed).
Future perspectives.
Directions of the Public Administrations that in the development of these Programmes, of the Universities and Programmes that count with these teachings.
Bernabé Sarabia pointed out the convenience of incorporating some section about the international and European situation, and he offered to work in this Project. María López also intervened some suggestions related to this Project.
It was agreed that Juan Antonio Lorenzo, Bernabé Sarabia and José Arnay will be in charge of preparing it. Lola Zahonero indicated that the IMSERSO could assume it as a research project to fund it and publish it. She compromised herself to send a model that she will send to IMSERSO.
4) Assessment of the Conclusions of the VI Meeting and actions that may proceed.
In this section it was established a debate with various interventions, Adoración Holgado, María López, Concha Bru, Juan Antonio Lorenzo. It was considered that the conclusions did not gather equally what had been addressed in the Meeting. In the other side, there was certain dispersion respect the presentation-talk and it was convenient to rearrange some of the contents of the conclusions. After debating about this question it was agreed that, on the one hand, it had been passed the presentation – framework. The elaborated conclusions should be respected as long as they will gather up what it has been addressed in the Meeting, whether or not they will coincide with the presentation. The writing could be improve in any case and avoid repetitions in case there was any. Adoración Holgado and Concha Bru were in charge of establishing a final writing. It is urgent to close this section in order to edit the minute of the Meeting.
5) Work calendar of the Association for the academic year 2002 - 2003.
Related to the organization of the VII National Meeting, Juan Antonio Lorenzo pointed out that the first meeting between the universities of Madrid and IMSERSO, together with the Councils of Education and Social Services of the Community of Madrid will be held the day 17th of June. To this task will devote their time the spokesperson that will be chosen by the Universities of Madrid as it was agreed in Alicante, Concha Bru and Dolores Zahonero.
The Seminar organised by Adoración Holgado in Salamanca will be held the days 23rd and 24th of September. It was proposed that the following meeting of the Association will be organized by the Universities of Santiago de Compostela, Tarragona and Córdoba.
It was agreed that Concha Bru and the University of Murcia will retake the topic of the Statutes of the Association so that the processes are regularised before the following Meeting.
The rest of the work agreements have been already addressed in previous sections. Not having any more issue to discuss the seating is suspended at 18:30 hours approximately.
In La Laguna the 21th of June 2002
José Arnay Puerta
Secretary
APPENDIX 1
Issue: Draft of the document from the Provisional Directors Board of the State Association of University Programmes for Older Adults about the Education Plan of IMSERSO
Date: 30th of May 2002
In the meeting of the National Committee of University Programmes for Older Adults, held in the venue of IMSERSO the 15th of March of 2002, the General Director informed to the members of this said Committee of the new structure of this institution and the guidelines IMSERSO is going to apply to the Programmes through the National Plan of Education. In this said meeting a work group of the Committee that would present to IMSERSO our proposals was formed, it would have to finish their projects before the month of June. A first value of these aspects was concreted in a first draft that together with the following considerations should serve for the writing of a final document, discussed and approved by the current Provisional Directors Board of the National Association as document to present to IMSERSO as the view of the Universities about the Education Plan announced.
The following thoughts try to explicit some questions of the genesis and the current situation of the Programmes under the light of the development of social and educational public politics and their effects in these said programmes. They have as a purpose to highlight some aspects, as a kind of inventory we consider they should be taken into account when confronted with the designing of a National Plan of Education. All this considering that which characterises the current situation of the Programmes is a big diversity in their structures, very different situations from one university to other, historical careers, etc. As a consequence, we should express the maximum respect for the idiosyncrasy of each one of them, understanding that from that diversity part of their wealth is born too.
General considerations
The IMSERSO, as an institution in charge of the design and implementation in a state level of the social politics for older adults, has been the main protector for the incorporation of older adults to the university. It is significant to highlight that with the funding granted to a group of universities (15-17), has get to interest in this Project that a higher number of them, until getting to the current situation where the number of non-funded universities (+40) exceeds in a substantial way the number of funded ones. The help of IMSERSO has been, in this sense, fundamentally strategic, as it comes that with an economic support perceptually low has achieved a high implementation of universities that currently offer Programmes for Older Adults.
Therefore, we should consider that the results obtained in the development of the Programmes have been achieved with a cost in the funding substantially lower to IMSERSO than if it would have had to fund all the Programmes currently functioning.
However, the situation of the Programmes in the majority of the Universities is of an extraordinary institutional fragility. He wants to say with this that there is still a long way to go for older adults to assimilate themselves as students of full right in the Universities. We are in a phase that we could define as transition between a first phase, clearly experimental, and a third one of normalization and consolidation. In some cases the process has just begun and there are serious and depth obstacles in the implementation.
If we had to do a brief diagnosis of the factors that determine the characteristics of this process we will have to reference two classes of problems: the exogenous and endogenous.
The characterization of the exogenous is related, among others, with the role of the institutions and social and educational administrations of national character developed when it comes to design and put in practice the recommendations and commands that from numerous national, European and global institutions have been making in these 10 years about the right of education, and more concretely, to higher education of older adults. In general the unfulfillment of these said institutions of these commands is more than notorious. This happens with the case of the Ministry of Education and Culture, whose actions, in this sense, have been up to this moment non-existent, wasting important legislative opportunities for giving a real impulse to the ideas that about permanent education have been developed for a long time by various instances of the EU and that should be implemented by part of the member States. In the case of the Ministry of Work and Social Issues, even though it has been the organism that more decisively has supported the launching of the Programmes, this said support, as we have already pointed out, has been partial and limited. But even more significate results that both Ministries have not coordinated so that the two sides of the Programmes –the educational and the social- count with an adequate and harmonic development.
Equally significate results the discoordination between state and autonomous institutions. The search of supports for the funding in an autonomous level has been produced many times without initiatives taken to translate to a level of autonomous communities what works in a state level by the state institutions. This discoordination and ignorance between administrations has not done any favour to the development of the Programmes. Equally we could point out these said effects related to the relationships between public and private institutions.
5. Taking into account these considerations move out from the ambit of IMSERSO to the Ministry of Education and Culture or to the respective Autonomous Communities the responsibility of supporting and funding the Programmes we find inappropriate and hurried if contacts and institutional agreements do not exist before hand so that they can avoid improvisation and the lack of institutional assumed responsibility by these administrations. On their behalf, private institutions find contradictory to have to pay for funding and supports refused by public institutions.
With regard of the endogenous aspects, the lack of a precise legislation leaves the Programmes in a situation of permanent illegality in the normative framework of the universities. Even though almost all the public and private universities in Spain have this kind of activities, it is not less true that in a very prominent percentage these experiences suffer of a scarce recognition regarding to the compliment of the right of a higher education of the older student body. As we are dealing with a non-regulated education, neither the Ministry of Education nor Culture, the Councils of Education of the respective autonomies, nor the said universities find themselves forced to support institutionally and financially these Programmes. A no man’s land is created and it transforms itself in an inhospitable territory for the normal development of the educative activities. The student body is university in some aspects, but not in others, they have some rights but others are denied to them. This permanent paradox is a menace for the own continuity of the Programmes, given that the vast majority of them has not found yet the adequate formula to achieve the full consolidation of these said Programmes.
Proposals
The IMSERSO should support financially and institutionally the Programmes for Older Adults with stable and sufficient budgetary line items that warrant the continuity of the University Programmes for Older Adults as part of the social politics. We understand that the socio-educational policies are part of the governmental actions that tend to accomplish the agreements and the commands of organisms and institutions at a national level (e.g. National Council of Older Adults), European (e.g. European Commission) or global (e.g. Global Assembly of Ageing.
The IMSERSO should support an equal or higher number of universities with a stable character, as it is expressed in the conclusions of the VI National Meeting, by signing conventions for three years that warrant the stability in the development of the projects. The support should contemplate the adequacy of the Project that each university presents to what is established in the model-framework approved in the VI Meeting of University Programmes for Older Adults held in April 2002 in Alicante.
The Programmes that currently have conventions signed with IMSERSO will be able to extend them for a maximum instalment of 3 more years for the same economic quantity, without having the obligation to use it up for some Programmes. Once this extension is over, it will be open an instalment so that other 15 universities will be able to subscribe new conventions for other 3 years. In this way, it will be established a rotating system of funding from which the universities that ask for it can benefit from if.
The IMSERSO will drive and incentive innovative proposals that involve the use of new technologies in the improvement and spreading of the Programmes, the development of Programmes in the countryside and the integration of the older adults in projects of social research.
Independently of the sign of conventions for three years the IMSERSO will promote the realization of acts and events tending to strengthen the development of the Programmes and their social projection.
The IMSERSO should benefit the interchanges of students of various Spanish and European universities, as well as socio-cultural activities of different kind.
The realization of related researches with the population of older adults should be strengthened.
The IMSERSO will promote the contacts with other administrations of the State to coordinate the adequate normative development with the purpose of getting a legal framework for the permanent education of older adults.
The previous objective should be taken by IMSERSO to the different administrations of the autonomic governments.
APPENDIX 2
PROPOSAL OF THE NATIONAL COMMITTEE OF UNIVERSITY PROGRAMMES FOR OLDER ADULTS FOR THE POSSIBLE RECOGNITION OF THE ACCESS TO CONDUCTIVE STUDIES TO OFFICIAL TITLES OF THE STUDENTS THAT STUDY WITH USE THESE PROGRAMMES
Hon. Mr. Secretary of State:
As you already know, the National Committee of University Programmes for Older Adults that represents the Universities that have Programmes of these characteristics (more or less forty) in your meeting of the 6th of November 2001 you debated and agreed to propose to the Ministry of Education, Culture and Sports, that if it considers it opportune it would be so kind as to include a section in the Project of Royal Decree that regulates the access of persons older than 25 years to the University that study the possibility of recognise, totally or partially, the entrance exam for persons older than 25 to the students that study or have studied the study plans of these Programmes. Specifically, it was approved that it was processed that following proposal:
“The Universities, in accordance with the entrance exam that the present Royal Decree regulates, will be able to recognise, totally or partially, this said exam to the students of the programmes and courses of Universities for Older Adults that accomplish the academic requirements that each University approves”.
It also considered the possibility that the persons older than 55 years could enter directly in the University, without any need of degree, having studied successfully University Programmes for Older Adults in the options that are determined according to the rules. In any case the general exam could be recognised, if they had studied successfully the subjects of the Programme.
Through the experience of the years passed since the start of the first programmes in the first years of the decade of the nineties of the last century (University of Alcalá, Pontifical of Salamanca, Granada, etc.) and the extension of these said programmes to a high number of universities currently –more than forty, the experience confirms their result in older adults that are studying or have studied them.
In this line, the VI National Meeting held in Alicante has taken care of the models-frameworks in university programmes for older adults, setting up the bases of the minimums of these Programmes, which allows to specify the general lines of the teachings imparted. In a general mode it can be pointed out that:
There are Programmes organised by the Universities (Public or Private).
They last for three years, generally.
They impart a minimum of 300 hours through the Programme, with a tendency towards the 400 or 450 hours.
They have in their plans compulsory and optative subjects, with a changing structure depending on the university.
Generally they impart teachings of Humanities and Social Sciences, Law and Economic Sciences, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Bio-sanitary Sciences and Technological Sciences. Currently there is a clear dominancy of the Social and Human Sciences in numerous Programmes.
They have established mechanism of assessment controls and assessment of the students, therefore it can be considered that the credits can be given to the use of these programmes.
They are imparted, almost in the entirety of the courses, by university faculty, what warrants the level and quality demanded to the university teachings.
Furthermore, they develop a series of activities of cultural and complementary (Conferences, visits to museums, concerts, etc.) that connect with the own cultural dimension of the University.
No doubt, it can be affirmed that, so much for the maturity of these students as for their level of interest and motivation with which they assist to these teachings, the educative level of the said studies is at least equal to what it can be given credit to in the entrance exam of persons older than 25 years, taking into account too with a minimum experience of three years of university life.
On the other side, the persons that are currently in this age range, in many cases did not have the opportunity of studying university studies because of the circumstances in which they lived in their adolescence and youth, and in other cases it is about persons that having studied technical studies are interested in studies of Humanities and Social Sciences. Even though the number of students interested is not high, it will be for them the opportunity of accessing to official studies, inside the principle of the LOU of the continuous learning throughout life, as one of the possibilities.
As a consequence, it could be add, and in this sense we are addressing to you, in the regulated normative of access to the University for persons older than 25 years a section that referred to those that having studied university programmes for older adults in established sense. The following options are pointed out:
Automatic recognition of the teachings of the University Programmes for Older Adults for those options determined.
Recognition, either total or partial, of the entrance exam for persons older than 25, in function of the subjects taken.
Recognition of the general part of the entrance exam for persons older than 25 years, in all cases, and in the specific one in those cases in which the required subjects for the access of the asked option had been studied.
In this sense, it would be necessary that the programmes would have incorporated as subjects that the interested students should compulsory study: Spanish Language and its case of the correspondent Autonomous Community, Language, Literature, Spanish History, Art History, Philosophy (Recognition for the access to Humanities); The previous ones in addition to Applied Mathematics to Social Sciences, for the option of Social and Law Sciences. In those cases it could be proceed to the recognition or the automatic recognition. The first of them will serve for the recognition of the general exam of all the options. For the options of Science and Technology and Health Sciences, they should have studied too, the subjects required for them (Mathematics, Physics and to choose one between Biology, Chemistry or Geology – for the option A –Biology, Chemistry and to choose one between Mathematics, Physics and Geology for the option B).
Leaving aside the decisions taken for the development of the LOU, referred to the learning throughout life, among which are the specific teachings for older adults, the National Committee finds very convenient that through the recognition of the university teachings for older adults or the recognition of the entrance exam for persons older than 25 years, it is established the possibility of accessing to conducting studies to official titles. The education that the students who stay for three years in the University receive, in addition to the professional and cultural experience they possess, warrants that those who wish to study teachings of official studies will be sufficiently prepared to face with success the studies pointed out.
The Royal Decree of access of persons older than 25 years could incorporate the most convenient option from the technical and legal point of view, the Autonomous Communities in the ambit of their competencies could give recognition to the University Programmes that add a minimum and the own Universities could apply the recognition if this was the chosen option.
The National Committee trusts that this petition is taken into consideration that is made in the name of the Universities that have a University Programme for Older Adults and offers to collaborate with all that allows this proposal to get to express itself in the legal normative that regulates the access of students to the University.
Day of of 2002.
Signed.
HON. MR SECRETARY OF STATE OF EDUCATION AND UNIVERSITIES.
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