The Comptroller General of the Republic, Carlos Hernán Rodríguez Becerra, presented the results of the evaluation of the execution of the public policy of the School Feeding Program (PAE), with emphasis on the financial deficit and structural flaws in its operation.
During the forum “A look at School Feeding in Colombia”, The head of the control body pointed out that definancing remains one of the main factors affecting the provision of service in the country and generates direct impacts on access to food for students in the official system.
(Read: New call for Future Fund to facilitate access to higher education in 2026)
According to the report, in 2025 the PAE will serve 5.57 million students with a budget of $5.27 billion. However, 1.28 million students do not receive school meals and an additional $1.21 billion would be required to guarantee coverage. By 2026, the analysis indicates that an additional $1.3 billion would be needed to cover 1.6 million students who would be left out of the program if funding is not secured.
The results delivered show disparities between regions, since departments such as Amazonas, Casanare and Guaviare do not reach 50% coverage. In total, 19 of the 32 departments are below the national coverage average of 79% registered in 2023. In Sahagún, Córdoba, coverage was close to 23%. The Comptroller’s Office expects this territorial entity to reach 50% in 2026. Additionally, regions such as Llanos, Pacific and South Center, which have lower levels of food security, receive proportionally fewer resources per capita.
(See more: From classrooms to clicks: this is how the new Atenea Academy works for all Bogota residents)
Since 2020, 185 fiscal findings have been detected for more than $55.5 billion in the program, 61% associated with cost overruns.
iStock
The control body noted that the program faces historical difficulties related to delays in contracting, supply problems and service suspensions. In 2023, 2,570,291 students did not receive school meals during their academic day. This figure was verified both in audit findings and in reports from the School Food Administrative Unit. Rodríguez stated that Deficiencies in supervision and control are recurrent, especially in regions such as Llanos, Eje Cafetero and Centro Oriente.
In tax matters, The Comptroller’s Office indicated that during 2024 and 2025, 30 findings were identified for $7,974 million, with 48% associated with cost overruns and 47% with unsupported payments. Between 2020 and the first half of 2025, more than 813 findings were registered, of which 185 have a tax impact of more than $55.5 billion.
Of that figure, more than $33,000 million correspond to cost overruns, equivalent to 61% of the total. In 2023, resources amounting to $1.9 trillion were evaluated and 27 fiscal findings were identified for $7,964 million, concentrated in the Pacific, South Central and Llanos regions.
(Read also: The possible cognitive effect that ChatGPT could cause in children, according to experts)
To ensure full coverage in 2026, an additional $1.3 trillion is required to prevent 1.6 million students from being left out.
iStock
According to the reportproblems in kitchens, dining rooms, refrigeration equipment, access to drinking water and household items affect 135,629 students, mainly in the Caribbean and Central East regionswhile surveys indicate impacts on 281,224 students. There are also non-compliance with the minimum purchase of local products of 30%, with 47% of the headquarters without prioritizing local inputs and high external dependence in regions such as the Central East and Pacific.
The comptroller also highlighted the positive effects of the program in reducing school dropouts. According to academic analyzes cited, A decrease between 10% and 25% has been observed in dropouts and grade repetition.
Regarding infrastructure and operation, he stated that “Problems were evident in the functionality of the kitchens, inadequate dining rooms, deficiencies in refrigeration equipment, lack of access to drinking water and insufficient household items.”.
At the end of his speech, Rodríguez stated that “the Comptroller General of the Republic urges taking concrete and effective measures to improve the implementation of public policies that guarantee the full development of all Colombians.”
(Read: Icetex disburses $52.9 billion in support subsidies to 42,615 students)
DIANA K. RODRÍGUEZ T.
Portfolio Journalist
