In 2011, the City of Buenos Aires received from the Government nearly $10 million from the Fund for Vocational Technical Education. The money was intended to strengthen both the institutions and programs that are taught in technical schools in the Capital City. However, as of September 30th of last year, the administration had not submitted the accountabilities of any of the transferred money. 

According to a report from the Auditor General of the City of Buenos Aires (AGCBA, for its acronym in Spanish), $9,645,638 were given to the City of Buenos Aires in respect of "jurisdictional transfer," which is what the Government sends to the various regional governments.

Of that total, the watchdog said that they used about $9,144,474.78, and that more than half a million pesos were pending ($501,163.22). But accountabilities for those transfers were not recorded.

The money in question comes from the National Fund created under the Law 26,058 of Technical Education, and was intended to achieve greater equity, quality and efficiency in such training. As to how the financial aid works, jurisdictions must file accountings of their transfer to a specific program, which operates under the aegis of the Ministry of National Education, and is known as INET. In turn, provinces are empowered to form an Executive Jurisdictional (EJU) Unit, in charge of the administration of the transfers.

Moreover, in addition to the "jurisdictions" the State sends "institutional transfers" which go directly to the technical schools. The report of the AGCBA indicates that, in that sense, the City’s institutions received approximately $4,958,753 in 2011 and, of that a total of $4,623,379.50 was executed.

Regarding these transfers, accounts were rendered only for 33.79% of all funds received, about $1,675,691.02. Overall, if we add all the concepts, the State sent the Capital in 2011 transfers amounting for $17,024,283, from the National Fund for Technical and Vocational Education. The Audit’s investigation concludes that this total amount ran just over 80%, about $13,767,854.28 and until last September, rendered only 9.84%, that $ 1.6 million in "institutional transfers."

Background

The observations related to the accountabilities of the Fund for Technical Education had already appeared in other reports the AGCBA had published in previous years.

One of these cases is a report approved in 2009 that analyzed the year 2008. At that moment the watchdog said: "At the closing of this report no renderings had been submitted for any of the funds transferred and executed by the nine local Professional Technical Education institutions, which amounted to $606,402.10 and covers 16 projects. However, the watchdog added, the original supporting documentation was held by the Executing Jurisdictional Unit. About this observation, the report notes that the 2013 level of progress in regularization is 'satisfactory'. "

Another aspect contained in the latest report by the AGCBA and was repeated in 2009, is the one that refers to the underspending of funds.

In their previous research, the watchdog had stated that there had been "a sub-execution of $1,328,962.90 for resources transferred in the audited year (2008), which represents 69% of the total amount, and includes 20 projects from 18 schools.”