Classes will begin this February 3 and to date the school breakfast provision service has not been contracted in the educational units of the capital of Santa Cruz. The call launched at the end of last year was declared void due to the lack of proponents and now the Municipal Government is analyzing doing it by direct invitation.
The municipal director of Education, Raúl Ascarrunz, reported that the first tender was declared void because no company presented a proposal, “which is surely due to the economic situation that the country is experiencing” and the problems caused by the price of the dollar in the country. parallel market.
“We are applying what national regulations mandate, we are launching a tender and we hope that companies will present themselves. We have also suggested to the person responsible for the contracting process, who is the municipal secretary of Finance, that a direct invitation could be considered,” he stated.
Regarding the debt with the company that took over the provision of breakfast last year, he explained that complementary school feeding is covered with HDI resources, but the cuts have not allowed some payments to be fully met.
Last year, school breakfast distribution began on February 7 with provisional rations that were not complete. The first days a cereal bar and fruit nectar were delivered. It was attributed to the blockades that were in place at the time.
They were delivered to 370,000 students at the initial and primary levels, and for the second consecutive year, at the secondary level, with an investment of Bs 168 million.
Governorate
The Association of Municipalities of Santa Cruz (Amdecruz) also demands that the Santa Cruz Government disburse Bs 16 million committed to providing school meals in 34 locations, through agreements signed six months ago, but that have not been done. effective.
The Secretary of Finance of the Government, Miguel Sorich, explained that the illiquidity problem that affects the Departmental Government is public knowledge because the national Government has not met the budget ceiling set for the 2024 administration.
“The national government has not met the budgets that were initially stipulated in the budget ceilings. In December, of an estimated projection that we were going to receive 52 million bolivianos, we have received 38.6 million and with some adjustments they transferred 40 million to us, which meant not complying with the payment of school breakfast,” said Sorich.
Sorich mentioned that the Government is taking all the necessary steps to be able to honor that obligation. He added that “there is every predisposition” to make budget modifications to allocate resources and guarantee the requested payment.
The departmental authority indicated that in the 2024 administration, 173 million bolivianos less were received from oil revenues, which means non-compliance with some commitments.
“There is a departmental law that is mandatory, the issue of school breakfast, but there are fewer and fewer resources (…) In the 2025 administration it is around 18% or 20% less than the budget, which means that all those commitments and obligations also have to be reduced,” he stressed.
This Tuesday, acting governor Mario Aguilera received the mayors at the Environmental Education Center (CEA) to discuss the issue and promised to find a solution.
School supplies
On the other hand, the Municipal Government of Santa Cruz de la Sierra has 220,000 packages of school supplies ready for students at the initial and primary level. “In the sub-municipalities there is the material that will be delivered in the second week of February,” Ascarrunz said.
In the same way, 1,441 new acrylic blackboards were installed for the schools, but it is also planned to continue with this work and with the installation of fans that are required in the classrooms. At the same time, work is being done on cleaning green areas in educational establishments. In addition, fumigation is carried out.
