Comptroller's Office warns that the implementation of the PAE has not started in 11 territorial entities

More than two months after the start of the school year in Colombia, 11 Certified Territorial Entities (ETC), located in nine departments of the country, have not yet begun implementing the School Feeding Program (PAE). The Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic and the Ministry of National Education (MEN) point out that the non-provision of the school food service in these places would affect around one million children.

The CTEs affected were those of Buenaventura, Caqueta, Cesar, Córdoba, Cúcuta, Magdalena, Neiva, Pitalito, Santa Marta, Sincelejo and Sucre. The average transaction delay is between 70 and 56 business days.

In addition, the Comptroller's Office points out that in five Certified Territorial Entities, although they reported the start of operations, they are not functioning at 100%. This happens in the following five departments:

Antioquia: Contracting processes have been declared deserted in 16 municipalities.

Cauca: started the Indigenous PAE but the Majority PAE is still in the process of contracting.

Chocó: PAE has started in 26 of the 29 municipalities and the Indigenous PAE began operations in two of the three contracts.

Cundinamarca: started the PAE for 104,373 beneficiaries. In the process of contracting PAE for 93,617 beneficiaries of the Department.

Boyacá: report of non-operation in the municipalities of Gachantivá, Pajarito, Viracachá, Ramiriqui, Tibana, Boyacá, Páez and La Capilla.

The Comptroller's Office indicated that during the months of January and February, a team from the entity visited 150 public schools where the PAE is being carried out and during the year it was confirmed that 34% of the sample were not delivering the PAE on the day of the visit.

Likewise, it was evidenced that there are significant deteriorating conditions of the infrastructures required for the implementation of the PAE, as well as the lack of kitchenware in most educational venues. 16% of schools do not have a kitchen, 26% do not have a storage space, 15% do not have a dining room and 22% do not have a place for food refrigeration.

To aggravate the case, in some institutions the hygiene situation is not the best. This has led to the fact that, to date, in 10 schools, located in Boyacá, Meta, Antioquia and Cundinamarca, health quality and safety alerts have been presented due to outbreaks of ATS (foodborne diseases) in PAE rations.

Because of this situation, in addition to the warning of the Comptroller's Office, the Attorney General's Office also ruled and assured that it is taking legal action against some local governments where the PAE has not advanced. Thus, guardianships have been filed against the governorates of Chocó, Guaviare and Sucre; the mayors of Neiva and Sincelejo, and the municipalities of San Pablo de Borbur, La Capilla, Otanche, La Victoria, Quipama and Pauna in Boyacá.

In addition, in 2022 preliminary investigations were opened to the Government of Córdoba; to the municipalities of Sampués, Chalán, Coveñas, Morroa, Los Palmitos, Corozal and Santiago de Tolú belonging to the department of Sucre and, in addition, to Buenaventura and Santa Marta.

For its part, the Comptroller's Office assures that it will continue to carry out this Special Follow-up on the PAE for the remainder of 2022, through the Delegate Comptroller's Office for Citizen Participation and Departmental Managerships throughout the country, with timely monthly reports.

“From the Office of the Comptroller General of the Republic, and in accordance with the Special Follow-up that is being carried out, we are calling on territorial entities to attend, contract and arrange the equipment to execute the PAE, since it must be borne in mind that the education sector is one of the sectors with the greatest social impact in the The vast majority of public management and PAE is financed with resources from the General Budget of the Nation, the General System of Participation and the General System of Royalties, which are subject to surveillance by this watchdog,” Pineda said.

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