From The Star Staff
In response to the issues raised by Education Department secretary-designate Eliezer Ramos Parés, who has recognized ongoing bureaucratic challenges within the agency, Gov. Jenniffer González Colón is scheduled to meet with the department today for further clarification.
This move comes as the overwhelming bureaucracy has seemingly hindered schools from being sufficiently prepared for the imminent start of classes.
“The data provided to me stemmed from the transition report, which is not yet publicly available,” the governor remarked. “We discovered that numerous schools were still unprepared. Even though I had previously indicated that everything would be sorted by August, it’s only been a week — quite literally — since I’ve been governor for just four days.”
“We are currently assessing the conditions of all these schools, collaborating closely with contractors and relevant management personnel to address these matters,” she continued. “This is exactly why we brought in essential staff to the Education Department and the Public Buildings Authority, assigning them the responsibility of coordinating efforts alongside OMEP [the Spanish acronym for Office of Public School Maintenance].”
“I plan to personally visit the Education Department [Tuesday] to evaluate the advancements because I am not content with just PowerPoint presentations,” González Colón stated.
Ramos Parés, who was part of the governor’s second round of appointments on January 1, served as interim education secretary from April 2021 until February 2022, after which he was officially appointed as secretary. He departed the role in mid-2023.
