Students from Alicante's Interior Demand to Take University Entrance Exams in Alcoi

Students and parents from the l'Alcoià and el Comtat regions have formally requested a meeting with the University of Alicante following the decision to suspend Alcoi as an examination centre for university entrance exams. The group, known as 'Les PAU a Casa', represents various parent associations and seeks to discuss the negative impact of this unilateral decision, which affects over 400 students, approximately 10% of the total second-year high school students in these areas.

The decision, according to the group, poses social, economic, and academic challenges for both students and their families. They argue that their children should not face exams under unequal conditions compared to other students, citing poor transportation links and increased stress due to longer travel times.

They remind that these regions consist of small towns with poor communication links, such as Planes, Lorcha, Beniarrés, or Vall d'Alcalà. "These students already spend an additional twenty to thirty minutes commuting, which is a clear disadvantage," they add.

Furthermore, they warn that their children's academic future is decided in just three days, and the new measure would cause "serious harm" to students who would have to travel between 65 and 80 kilometres to the University of Alicante campus, whereas Alcoi had previously served as a venue.

The group recalls that this suppression was attempted years ago but was never implemented. At that time, students experienced significant uncertainty.

The group comprises families from schools such as Colegio La Salle, IES Andreu Sempere, IES Pare Vitòria, and IES Cotes Baixes in Alcoi, IES Serra Mariola in Muro de Alcoy, and IES Profesor Manuel Broseta in Banyeres de Mariola.

Additionally, other universities face similar issues. For instance, Miguel Hernández University in Elche maintains its examination centres in Dénia, Benissa, Altea, La Nucía, and Torrevieja; the Polytechnic University of Valencia has centres in Gandía, Alzira, and Xàtiva; and the University of Valencia also has one in Ontinyent. "It is incomprehensible that the Alcoi campus, which serves over 400 students, has been removed. There is talk of depopulation, sustainability, efficient and ecological mobility, and this decision contradicts those SDG goals promoted by major organisations," they argue.

The group highlights that the measure particularly affects families with fewer resources or students with special needs.

The petition, which has already gathered over 3,000 signatures, is being conducted through Change.org and social media. Additionally, they have released an illustrative video on the situation and plan further actions in the coming days.