The Parents' Association of Urduña Herri Eskola has informed Aiaraldea Komunikabidea that the Basque Government intends to eliminate the dining hall model launched in 2018. The educational community was present yesterday at the Education Commission of the Basque Parliament, and the main conclusion was that the Government will implement a new management model in the future.
The Parents' Association advocated for the work carried out since 2005 in Parliament and requested measures to address the current uncertainty. The pilot project has been in operation since 2018. PP, PSE-EE, and EH Bildu acknowledged the work of the school's stakeholders and the City Council, and the PNV also expressed its support. However, PNV representative Alazne Arana indicated that in the future, once the kitchen announced by the Minister of Education is built, they will change the management model to establish an "in-situ and vertical own kitchen".
Arana argued that this approach would integrate the project within the Basque Government's parameters, guarantee legal stability, and meet three other criteria: "Equity for all schools, financial sustainability, and legal security." She also added that this would relieve the Parents' Association of its workload.
Eba Colomino, a member of the Parents' Association, responded to Arana at the Parliament itself, acknowledging that the Basque Government has made progress towards Urduña's criteria (local production, agroecology, nearby suppliers...), but that the tender specifications set by the Government are still far from their practices.
The debate became unpleasant when Alazne Arana accused the school of following EH Bildu's political agenda and endangering the school's reputation. Director Eunate Arbizu clarified that the educational community did not wish to present a motion, but due to the Department's lack of response to their questions and significant communication deficit, they felt compelled to take this path. The director highlighted that when the Minister of Education announced the construction of the new kitchen last year, no one at the school was aware of it, and they would have appreciated a prior meeting to receive this information.
According to projections, the new management model would be in effect for the 2027-2028 academic year. In response, the Parents' Association has announced that they will launch a cycle of demands and mobilizations starting in September if the characteristics of the current dining hall model are not guaranteed. This situation is not new for the people of Urduña, as they previously organized protests to achieve the current model.
Prior to attending the Basque Parliament, the Urduña City Council unanimously approved the text proposed by the educational community. EAJ and EH Bildu voted in favor of five points: Institutional recognition of the Urduña school dining hall and municipal kitchen model; defense and consolidation of the model; real and effective participation of the educational community in any decision regarding the future of the dining hall and kitchen; requesting the Basque Government to establish a stable legal, administrative, and economic framework that guarantees the project's viability; and the City Council's commitment to support the project and ensure its future.
