Madrid (EFE).- The astronaut Pablo Álvarez stressed today in Madrid that the rural school is “essential so that their families can continue living on their land and structure the emptied Spain”, from which he comes together with his partner astronaut Sara García .
Both have received the 2023 awards from the Spanish Confederation of Student Parents’ Associations (CEAPA) at an event held within the framework of the AULA Fair, at the Ifema Madrid campus.
Sara García and Pablo Álvarez, Spanish astronauts from the European Space Agency (ESA), have been recognized for their defense of the public school, where they both studied in their homeland, León.
“If I had not received a first-rate education in León since I was little, I could never have managed to be an astronaut,” said Pablo Álvarez, who has also defended the importance of rural schools.
There are rural schools, he stressed, with “very few students who are essential so that their families can continue living on their land and structure the emptied Spain from which Sara and I come.”
Sara García, the other Spanish astronaut who also comes from a rural school
Sara García, for her part, has highlighted the importance of public education in her life: “I am who I am for having been able to opt for a quality public education, which is why I feel indebted to society, which has invested so much in me to be able to become the professional that I am today”.
García and Álvarez, who are the first Spanish astronauts from the European Space Agency in 30 years, are “an inspiring example of the quality of our public education, and how from public school you can reach the highest level”, he stated. in the act the president of CEAPA, María Capellán.
CEAPA has also awarded this year the NGO Save The Children, for its promotion of educational equity, the former Secretary of State for Education, Alejandro Tiana, for his role as promoter of the current education law (Lomloe), while the recognition This year the ‘Inclusive Fridays’ project of the FAMPA Jaén Los Olivos has won the territorial federations, which aims to offer training to families on issues of inclusion and equality.
The emotional moment of the act was experienced when remembering Mohamed Abselam Mohamed ‘Hamiti’, president of FAMPA Ceuta for many years and member of the CEAPA Board of Directors, who recently passed away.
The president of CEAPA announced that, from now on, the award given to the territorial federations will bear the name of Hamiti, “a great fighter for public schools, who always participated actively in CEAPA despite the geographical distance and who He has left an important void in our hearts due to his cheerful character and his perennial smile”.
Part of Hamiti’s family has attended the event to collect the recognition.