“It is absolutely essential. Every year, our university and higher-level degree programs are losing enrollments because these students have nowhere to stay overnight,” Buj warned.
LESS STUDENT HOUSING AS MORE DEGREES ARE ADDED
The lawmaker recalled that the residence should have been restored years ago and warned of the consequences of continuing to delay its reopening, particularly as Teruel expands its educational offerings with new degrees, medical studies and the future arrival of Aerospace Engineering. “Where are these students going to sleep?” she asked.
Buj argued that the residence is essential to attracting and retaining talent and consolidating the province’s university development. The project includes 76 rooms, a youth hostel with 52 places and 12 independent-living units for vulnerable or formerly state-cared-for young people.
“It is essential for Teruel’s development, for the development of a province and for attracting and retaining talent,” she stressed. The lawmaker also highlighted the quality of the university studies and the commitment of the teaching staff, who are seeing the lack of accommodation hamper the campus’s growth.
NEWS BY LATE OCTOBER
In his response, Nolasco said the regional government is working on the tender process and hopes to provide an update by late October. “I assure you that it will become a reality and that those funds will not be lost,” he said. The deputy premier stated that the government is working to advance the project as soon as possible, although he did not specify a date for the residence’s opening or the academic year in which it could become available.
During her speech, Buj recalled that Teruel Existe had already asked the former regional minister for Social Welfare and Family, Carmen Susín, and the management of the Aragonese Youth Institute about the matter, without obtaining specific dates.
She also noted that Teruel’s mayor announced in March that the tender would be launched immediately after the formation of the new government. Nolasco acknowledged that he could not offer a firm deadline and said the work could take between one year and a year and a half.
