Working families in southern Gran Canaria now have the official roadmap for planning work-life balance for the upcoming school year. The General Directorate of School Administration, Enrollment, and Complementary Services has sent schools instructions outlining the calendar, admissions procedures, and criteria for awarding subsidies for school cafeterias in non-university public schools for the 2026-2027 academic year. This document regulates access to a social service that is critical for hospitality and retail workers in the tourist areas of San Bartolomé de Tirajana and Mogán, whose work schedules prevent them from managing household chores during peak hours.
The sector-specific text stipulates that meal service places will be assigned as a priority to students enrolled at the school where the catering service is located. Regional regulations exceptionally allow for the enrollment of students from other schools in the area, provided there are vacancies available within the authorized program and the arrangement receives explicit approval from the receiving school's governing board.
The Ministry of Education clarifies that students enrolled in this external modality will assume all the rights and duties of the regular diner, although the daily commute will be the sole responsibility of their parents, ruling out any legal consideration as users of the public school transport network.
The distribution scales and the amounts of the monetary contributions will be calculated using individualized economic modules intended to cover the costs of catering, local purchases and kitchen staff, applying total or partial exemptions in the monthly fees depending on the income thresholds and the situations of social vulnerability accredited by the municipal services.
Families in southern Gran Canaria must formalize their applications for places and documentation of economic income through the computer applications of the Government of the Canary Islands within the technical deadlines included in the annex of the resolution to ensure prior auditing of the items by the General Intervention department.
