When begins its walking in the University of Majors?
In course 2001-2002 I got up myself to the Direction of the Permanent University of the University of Alicante (UPUA). Later, in April of 2001, I attended in representation of the UA the V National Encounter of University Programs for Majors celebrated in Port de la Cruz (Tenerife), where the National Commission of PUM like coordination agency is constituted, being this one the germ of the present AEPUM.

What challenges consider to the AEPUM front?
Our objective is to consolidate the educative programs for majors in the university scope to contribute to the formative and cultural development of the group. In this sense, we will continue intensifying the dialog between public universities, administrations and deprived organizations, while we will continue acting like information center and interuniversity advising for the PUM.

Which are the main vindications of the Association?

- To promote new educative, formative and cultural structures related to the people majors;

- to try the collaboration and is present at of the Association in the university activities of scientific, academic or cultural character;

- to establish channels of collaboration between the associations of students majors and the universities;
- to arrange with the public administrations studies and projects that are of interest for the permanent formation of the people;

- to collaborate with the private organizations that intend the education of the majors;
- to participate in European programs destined to analogous aims to those of the Association;
- to secure stable procedures of financing;

- to execute directed actions to reinforce the international collaboration with those countries that count on universities of majors;

- to foment the intergenerational relations;

- to develop and to drive publications of scientific works, studies, monographs and doctoral theses, realized in the scope of the people majors;

- to implant systems of scholarships and aid.


Why to study beyond the 50 years?
The majority of the people majors that are gotten up to the PUM in Spain makes it to continue forming and not to be excluded from a society that advances to great passages in the technological scope, economic and cultural. The new technologies, cultural integration and the adaptation to the structural and socioeconomic changes are questions that worry to many students majors.

Another great part of the pupils looks for, in addition, the personal development and occupying its free time in the culture and the knowledge like part of its leisure, which also allows them to socialize itself and to find new friendly that share their sensitivities and I interest. To maintain a life active and the trained and abierta mind is fundamental.

Which are the basic characteristics that must have a University Program for Majors?
At the moment, the supply of PUM from the universities is identified and differentiated in Spain from the formation of adults of the Popular Universities, Classrooms of the Third Age well and Permanent Education of Adults. The PUM are “university formation regulated and managed by mechanisms and criteria of academic arrangement of education superior, with investigation associated to the studies and international projection�. This form, the University Programs for Majors deal with to more satisfy the formative needs with the people with than 50 years, being facilitated the possibility of giving to answer to an increasing demand of level formation superior.

What qualities must have the professors?
The teaching staff belongs to the university departments and teaching and research centers of the universities. Mainly, are specialized doctors those that distribute teaching in the PUM, for this reason, are in force by the same norms of pedagogical aptitude and criteria of scientific and educational adjustment that are demanded for the other university degrees. Although it is truth that when not being the programs incorporated in the majority from the universities to the Plan of Educational and/or Academic Arrangement of official titles, gets up to the PUM those professors with a clear educative vocation, that they look for new areas of methodologic innovation. In this sense, a effort is being realized to reinforce by means of activities and courses of formation the competitions and techniques of the teaching staff to adapt itself to the requirements of this new greater pupils.

Towards where the PUM go?
In the evolution of the characteristics of the PUM, it emphasizes the change in the type of pupils who come incorporating in the last decade to these programs and that has been growing in percentage of titled students. It is necessary to consider that the PUM offer a permanent formation and throughout all the life, that constitutes a key element for the active aging, the increase of the quality of life and the promotion of the personal autonomy.

For that reason, the PUM must continue their adaptation in abiertos, flexible and participating surroundings. Nevertheless, this is not excluding of academic control, rigor, quality, evaluation, participation in the investigation and possibilities of incorporation to the regulated university life for they ask for which it. To conciliate these aspects and to obtain the institutional recognition and the necessary support so that they do not disappear are, without a doubt, the way that is being followed at the moment.

They will secure the official recognition someday?
As it were indicated in the project AEPUMA 2006, in which 18 universities participated, the aspect of the recognition bears relation to the state from praeter legem - customs that regulate situations when applicable law does not exist. We talked about to the fact that the new social expectations of the people majors have brought about a university academic answer that during years has been in force from the point of view of the sources of the legal ordering, regulated in article 1,1. of the Civil Code.

The customary right tries to take care of a necessity anticipated by the legislator and does not seem proven that the university formation of the people majors, although during a time iuris has been able to be developed under the social impulse excluding opinio - opinion to create solely straight, in this historical conjuncture exhibits sufficient social and pedagogical characters, as well as legal of imperatividad, coercibilidad and majority to be object of legal regulation. It is for that reason that, from AEPUM, we are convinced that if already de facto exists a recognition, with time and the necessary managements this one will finish being a reality.

What hopes of the new academic course?
That the PUM can continue maintaining until now obtained, mainly, because the generalized crisis is going to affect the budgets and supports of these programs. As far as AEPUM and the rest of associations, that we pruned to continue contributing from our work and commitment advances and solutions to the consolidation, it improves and growth of these programs.