education

FECE spending on the rise

The program is the primary way for the government to finance improvements to schools.

The program has more financial controls after last year’s scandal involving the theft of $1.5 million.

Levi Cruz/La Prensa

getting better:The government will spend almost $50 million improving the country’s schools, almost twice as much as it spent in 2007. Funding will come from an expected surplus in the government’s revenues.1073832

Spending on school repairs will cost the government just under $50 million this year, twice as much as it spent in 2007 and $16 million more than was originally budgeted.

The money is being distributed by the Fondo de Calidad y Equidad de la Educación (FECE), which came under scrutiny last year after several officials in San Miguelito were accused of embezzling $1.5 million from the program.

Eric Morales, FECE's national director for the Ministerio de Educación (Meduca), said that the additional money will come from expected surpluses in government revenue. The money will be used to purchase items such as computers, and to renovate schools.

Morales said that the department has changed the way it monitors the program to avoid problems such as those that surfaced in San Miguelito last year.

“We are monitoring bank accounts for suspicious transactions and verifying that checks are properly signed,” he said.

Additionally, before any expenditure is made, the allocation must be approved by the Comptroller General.

One problem that still exists is the time that it takes to finish the projects.

Morales said that school officials are being trained in how to better manage the maintenance of their schools.

The government expects its revenues to increase substantially this year due to increases in tax collection and the proceeds from the sales of telecommunications licenses.

Investing in education is seen as a key component to the country’s continued economic growth, and the FECE program is the government’s primary way of financing those programs.

It has much work to do, however, as many of the country’s schools are in poor condition and are in dire need of equipment.

Many schools across the country delayed starting the academic year because renovation projects, such as the removal of fiberglass, dragged behind schedule.