LAURA SÁNCHEZ
THE COUNTRY | MANIZALES
There is $ 396 billion earmarked for education for Caldas in 2022. It is the sector that receives the most resources in the department and increases every year. That is what the numbers say, which seem to strengthen the money for the learning of children and young people.
However, that data without context says nothing or minimal could be confusing. The money that education receives is just enough for it to operate in the department for a year, since 89% of its budget is destined to pay the payroll of public servants of the Ministry of Education and teachers of 26 municipalities, except Manizales .
That $ 396 billion of education equals 45% of the total $ 874 billion budget the department needs. It sounds like a lot, even in this example: imagine that of that $ 396 billion an office that has about 5,000 employees must be paid. This is the education budget, a large purse to pay some 5,000 teachers and public servants of the Secretariat.
The Secretary of Education of Caldas, Fabio Arias, indicates that with this money the projects of the Development Plan can be executed, the little that remains is for quality projects and infrastructure improvement, monies that he manages to complement with procedures before the Ministry of Education.
“We have made arrangements with the Educational Infrastructure Financing Fund for urban and rural schools. Last year there were eight rural schools and we have already classified 10 more schools for 2022. I must do management in Bogotá and we have been able to advance a lot in teacher training, coverage, English, food with 80% coverage, school transport “, complements the secretary.
Enrollment helps maintain the Nation’s transfers: in 2019 there were 84,813 students, in 2020 there were 84,471, and this year it closed with 84,583.
Where do they come from?
For 2022, education received 95% that are resources of the Nation, which is equivalent to $ 375,743,496,198 and 5% are contributions from the Department for $ 20,758,844,789, explains Arias.
“That resource of the Nation is measured for the payroll. It is a plant of more than 5 thousand employees, including teachers and administrative employees. There is an important leverage of $ 21 billion for the School Feeding Program (PAE) and there is $ 2 million for inclusion, in an agreement with the University of Manizales in order to serve children with diverse needs, “says Arias. They also allocate about $ 350 million for teacher welfare for Teacher’s Day, the annual sports games.
The money from the Department contributes to the PAE, which is not enough with the resources of the Nation, since it costs about $ 26 billion. $ 3.4 billion are also invested for school transportation, which is paid for in the second semester by the Governor’s Office, and in the first by the municipalities.
In addition, the Teaching together by Caldas program is financed, which hires about 100 students with an emphasis on English who graduated from normal schools, who become classroom supports for the teaching of this second language in primary school. It’s $ 1.7 billion.
There is $ 1 billion for symphonic bands in training, purchasing instruments and conducting festivals. They also finance the maintenance of the institutions’ bicycles, there is co-financing with municipalities for the improvement of small school infrastructure works.
This budget is able to grow with the transfers of profits from the Caldas Liquor Industry (ILC), which sends money that must be used for educational infrastructure and other free destinations to complement the PAE. During the next year it may have additions that will correspond to resources from the balance sheet for the next term.
Education without prioritizing
It is that what receives education seems tempting for any Ministry, for example it triples the health budget and has a payroll that could be three times the personnel of the Government, illustrates the deputy of the Liberal Party Jorge Hernán Aguirre.
“The bulk of the money comes to us from the Nation, we are a poor department that collects little and we have few external sources of financing. We only have: General Participation System (SGP), General Royalties System (SGR), loans and co-financing” , says the deputy.
Aguirre, who has been in the Assembly for three terms, analyzes that the budget clings to the ILC. “To a certain extent, ILC has already reached where it had to. I do not know if it continues to rise in terms of financial surpluses. Despite this, in the distribution of resources we cannot say that education is left with very ample resources. There is nothing new for education, “says the deputy.
One Ministry that did receive an increase was Housing. The deputy indicates that on average he received between $ 2 billion and $ 3 billion, he went on to have $ 14 billion. It is the same Secretariat with the Departmental Water Plan. A budget quadrupled in two years.
This interpretation is shared by Professor Luis Alfredo Gómez, from the Educal union. “The National, local and Departmental Government make believe that the budget grows, what increases are the payroll commitments. When one looks at coverage and permanence, the budget is taken, $ 84 billion are for conditions that children require to be in the system educational”.
Gómez himself divides $ 84 billion for 163 schools in the department, it would be 515 million for each institution, that is, about $ 30 million per year for educational headquarters. They are loose data, but they serve to understand. “The control bodies were approved $ 10 billion, the same that they allocate to quality, initial, basic and secondary education. The same so that the control bodies do not do anything,” says teacher Luis Alfredo.
He is concerned that as the curve for school-age boys and girls yields to birth control and falls, the number of teachers will drop. He says that the resources for education are maintained, there are the same teachers, but the administrative fee increases. “There is evidence of a lack of interest in attending to education issues,” concludes Luis Alfredo.
“The only way to improve everything is with a reform of the SGP. The Department dedicated itself to administering the SGP. Luis Alfredo Gómez, Educal trade unionist.
Budget year to year
* 2018 (Ordinance 812 of 2017)
Total budget: $ 681,271,019,392
Education: $ 279,988,846,301
Own resources for education: $ 19,858,856,315
* 2019 (Ordinance 833 of 2018)
Total budget: $ 765,032,432,155
Education: $ 297,805,126,557
Own resources for education: Does not specify
* 2020 (Ordinance 860 of 2019)
Total budget: $ 707,760,161,316
Education: $ 320,300,867,716
Own resources for education: $ 40,911,820,600
* 2021 (Ordinance 833 of 2020)
Total budget: $ 760,850,167,915
Education: $ 318,377,706,166
Own resources for education: Does not specify
* 2022 (Draft ordinance 047)
Total budget: $ 874,873,420,653
Education: $ 396,502,340,987
Own resources for education: Does not specify
Destination 2022 for education subprograms
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