• Education. The rectors accuse Castells of "disloyalty" and "populism" for urging to take the exams 'online'

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Castling in universities.

Minister

Manuel Castells

has refused to rectify, as requested by the rectors, and has maintained his recommendation that campuses start taking online exams due to the worsening of the epidemiological situation due to Covid-19.

Campus representatives maintain their idea of ​​continuing with face-to-face tests and accuse the minister of "populism."

"Is populism talking? What I am asking is that you adjust your perception with that of many students and dialogue with them. Dialogue is a rule of civility. You cannot be indifferent to the outcry in the face of the worsening pandemic and simply maintain it. expected in a situation of extreme gravity ", Castells responded this Thursday in a virtual press conference.

The rectors and Castells have starred in one of the biggest confrontations that are remembered in the university.

For weeks, students have been asking for exams to be held online in the face of the worsening pandemic and show photographs of crowds at the entrances to classrooms and at the exit of public transport.

The minister met with them a few days ago and agreed with them in everything, something that annoyed the rectors, who say that these images are "specific cases" that have already been solved and argue that, if the health authorities have ruled that the campuses are safe, Castells should not come to question it.

This Wednesday Castells launched a message on Twitter asking for a change to the online tests, to which the rectors responded with a harsh statement in which they accused him of "disloyalty" and of "damaging the quality of teaching."

"First health and then academic quality," the minister replied.

"Last year the online exams were taken in June and there were no major problems, I don't see why there should be now."

It is the universities that have university autonomy to, following instructions from the health authorities of their autonomous community, decide how the exams are done and what restrictions are taken in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

Castells has insisted a lot on this during his speech, but, at the same time, he wanted to make "a call for responsibility to the deans": "Listen and do not think that the images that the students are sending to the media are being invented. What I am asking is that their concern be heard. The universities say they are not right, that there is no problem, but if there are students who say there is a problem, you have to listen to them. "

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

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