More than 530 thousand high school students will not receive food during the start of the school year

Around 530,000 boys, girls and adolescents in the country are at risk of not receiving the school feeding service during the first month of the School Calendar for 2023, identified the Comptroller General of the Republic in the framework of monitoring the Food Program. School (PAE) throughout the country, which is carried out through the Delegate Comptroller’s Office for Citizen Participation and in coordination with the Ministry of National Education and the Food to Learn Unit (UAPA).

Of the total of 97 Certified Territorial Entities (ETC), 9 of them (Córdoba, Valledupar, Sucre, Yopal, Santa Marta, Quibdó, Buenaventura, Neiva and Ciénaga) present a risk of non-compliance in the timely start, due to inefficient planning for carrying out the contracting processes.

As of January 23, 2023, Yopal and Neiva declared the contracting process void, Sucre plans to start on March 15, Córdoba is without an extension, Santa Marta has not started the contracting process, Valledupar has just started the award process, Buenaventura reported be in the stock market business round and Quibdó awarded that same January 23.

PLANNING PRINCIPLES MUST BE FOLLOWED IN CONTRACTING

The Comptroller General of the Republic draws the attention of these 9 ETCs, since since December 7, 2002 (through Resolution No. 359) they were assigned more than 124 billion pesos for the execution of the PAE in force until 2023 in their territories.

Similarly, the control body highlighted the situation of the ETC Ciénaga, which during the 2022 period delivered only Industrialized Ration and in 2023 began its operation in a timely manner, but runs the risk of suspension of the PAE due to having only two weeks of execution through resources of future validity.

At this same time, of the 97 Certified Territorial Entities, 60 started the school calendar on January 16, and only 45 of these began providing the PAE service, so from the preventive powers that the Comptroller’s Office has, a call to attention is also made to the 15 Certified Territorial Entities that did not comply with this criterion.

The Comptroller Delegate for Citizen Participation, Alexandra Rodríguez Vela, recalled that “Compliance with the planning principles in the contracting processes must prevail throughout the national territory to ensure that the school food service is provided from the first day and without interruption during the school calendar, as determined in Law 2167 of 2021.”

Related