National University Pact signed

19/06/2017

The university community, social and economic agents, and parliamentary groups signed on 19 June the National University Pact (Pacte Nacional per a la Universitat, PNU), promoted by the Government of Catalonia with the aim of debating and constructing the future model of Catalan universities. Attending the meeting were Jordi Baiget, Minister for Business and Knowledge; rectors and presidents of the board of Trustees of the Catalan universities; student delegates and representatives of trade union and business organisations, members of parliament and members of the university community.
 
The main issues which will be debated under the PNU framework are:
· Creating a financial model which can guarantee the sustainability and stability of universities.
· Improving the professional situation of public university workers, allowing both men and women to access and progress in their academic and research positions
.
· Advancing towards the implementation of quality and innovation policies at university.
· Advancing towards an equitable tuition fee system which promotes equal opportunities for all students (social pricing).
 
The PNU structure includes a plenary session, a permanent bureau and four work groups. The plenary session will be attended by the rectors and presidents of the Board of Trustees of each Catalan university, representatives of parliamentary groups, the Students Association of Catalonia (CEUCAT), trade unions and business organisations, a group of experts in higher education, and government representatives from the Secretary of Universities and Research.
University members who will attend the plenary sessions are: former rectors Dídac Ramírez, Ana Ripoll, Josep Ferrer, Anna Maria Geli, Imma Tubella, Joan Viñas and Francesc-Xavier Grau, former minister Andreu Mas-Colell, former rector and secretary of state Màrius Rubiralta, and lecturers and researchers Núria Sebastian, Joan Roca, Salvador Cardús, Núria Bosch, Jose Garcia Montalvo, Ramon Sanz, and Francesc Solé Parellada.

The PNU will also include a permanent bureau made up of the rector presiding the Catalan Association of Public Universities (ACUP), the rector of a private university, one representative of the Board of Trustees, one member of the CEUCAT, the person presiding over the Catalan Parliament's Business and Knowledge Committee, two trade union representatives and two business representatives; as well as four delegates from the Secretary of Universities and Research.

The four work groups will focus on the What (university mission: teaching, research and knowledge transference; social and regional actions, etc.), the Who (university community made up of PDI, PAS and students), the How (organisational criteria with an impact on quality), and Resources (funding, tuition fees and grants, etc.). In this sense, four fundamental aspects of the university model will be debated, such as their financial model, professional stability of workers, social pricing
system, and the governance model.
 
Implementation Schedule
In fulfilment of the Catalan Parliament's mandate, the Department of Business and Knowledge, through its Secretary of Universities and Research, has launched the National University Pact which will be passed in September by the Government of Catalonia. Following this, the first plenary session will be set and members will meet every two months.
The maximum deadline set by the PNU to reach agreements is September 2018, in which social pricing, financial model, labour policies, university quality and other strategic issues for the future Catalan university model should have been defined.