Madrid (EFE).- The rector of the National Distance Education University, Ricardo Mairal, stated in an interview with EFE that the UNED budget only covers 56.7% of payroll expenses and, despite not wanting sounds like a complaint, defines it as “low” and “insufficient”.
In 2012, UNED reached the maximum coverage of personnel expenses with 68.97%, the year from which it has fluctuated between 60 and 56%. In the last twelve annual budgetary exercises, the minimum was placed in 2022 (56.61%) and in 2023 (56.78%).
“I am not unhappy, but I am looking forward to the new university law -which was approved last Thursday the 9th in Congress-; I need an improvement in financing ”, he explains.
Towards sustainable financing
The project for the Organic Law of the University System obliges to invest 5% of university budgets in research and wants to guarantee that 1% of GDP is allocated by 2030 to financing the University (the autonomous communities, the competent administrations, contribute almost eight out of ten euros to the system).
The professor, who a few days ago presented his 2023-2026 strategic plan to the Minister of Universities, Joan Subirats, on whom this academic institution depends, wants to lay the foundations in this document for what he understands “should be the financing system of a university to compete in the 21st century”.
He does not hide his concern about the fact that in 2024 the projects financed with the European pandemic funds will end. “I am very grateful for this investment, but it is a finalist (linked to the realization of certain projects). When they’re done, bye.”
“In governance -he emphasizes- it is essential to have a model towards which to project and I aspire to have sustainable financing over time, that is, with a multi-year vision that allows me to carry out university policy without being at risk of what may happen in the General State Budget or any political vicissitude”.
The current budget “covers only 56.7% of personnel expenses, payroll. That’s not ratings, I’m just exposing the data. To me it seems low, insufficient. It’s something we need to improve.”
Measure performance to ask for more funds
In 2022, UNED received 99.96 million from public fees and prices; The Ministry of Universities received 75.49 million for current expenses and 16.36 for infrastructures or equipment -which includes part of the European funds-, while transfers from other entities totaled 20.1 million.
In that same year, personnel expenses amounted to 122.9 million.
One of the strategic lines proposed by the rector is to measure the performance of each investment carried out by the UNED, because -he reasons- if it can demonstrate that it has redounded to the benefit of society and there is a positive return “I will be legitimately authorized to claim much financing More complete”.
“There is a serious imbalance in the budget between external and internal income,” explains the professor, who affirms that he cannot and should not increase the public prices of the UNED.
UNED has 127,014 undergraduate students; 9,647 master’s; 2,034 doctorate; 3,091 microdegrees and 53 micromasters.
One of the amendments introduced during the parliamentary process of the third democratic university reform is that fees cannot be raised, only maintained or reduced.
The UNED plans an ambitious technological leap and a thorough review of its offer
The UNED is also preparing an ambitious technological leap and an “in-depth” review of its academic offer to be more competitive and adapt to the demand for new professional profiles, inside and outside Spain.
“Technology for me is an obsession”, emphasizes Mairal.
Its bets are educational innovation, a more automated electronic administration with less human intervention, personalized learning platforms, permanent training, greater openness to the outside world, increased research and more intelligent use of the huge amount of data that generates this university with half a century of history.
“We are at a time when it is necessary to innovate and discern what is relevant in the coming months or years; We are living in an exciting time with the irruption of so many technological changes and where artificial intelligence occupies a preponderant place ”, underlines the professor of Philology, who has led the UNED since 2018 and who at the end of 2022 revalidated his second term with a large majority.
Precisely, artificial intelligence will be one of the tools to measure the performance of all university activity (research, degrees, economic management, impact on society…) and there will be a Data Office.
“I want to develop an institutional intelligence project, that is, make intelligent use of the data that I am generating and measure its performance. My question is, are we making intelligent use of that data? Why do not do it? Why not create a system through semantic technologies, artificial intelligence…?” adds the rector of the UNED, who combines “online” teaching and face-to-face accompaniment.