Transparency and Monitoring of School Food at the Local Level (PY0085)

Brief description of the Commitment: Develop and implement a pilot project for transparency and citizen monitoring of the school food distribution process at the local level in a departmental governorate.

What is the problem that the Commitment seeks to address? The use of the resources of the National Fund for Public Investment and Development (FONACIDE) delivered to local governments for the School Feeding Program of the Ministry of Education and Science (MEC) has meant a huge amount of resources, which, as is public knowledge, have been squandered in several local governments. The lack of citizen control through the school cooperatives (ACES) and of a transparent distribution system have made it possible to reach this state. Likewise, it has been demonstrated that the absence of school meals in schools contributes to school dropout and limits children's learning.

What is the Commitment? To develop a monitoring system for the school food distribution process in public schools, so that information is available at this level of detail. The idea is to have a pilot that can be scalable and can be extended to more schools and that the MEC takes ownership of this monitoring tool, strengthening the right of access to public information and interaction with citizens, through: 1) The creation and implementation of a platform that facilitates access to public information on FONACIDE resources, school lunch and snacks available. 2) The survey of the population benefited by FONACIDE of the Government of Misiones. 3) Preparation and sharing of the School Food Manual for school cooperatives. 4) Verification of the quality of the food received in accordance with the socialization of the Manual.

How will you contribute to solving the problem? The availability, plus a complaint system and the monitoring work of the school cooperatives. Direct beneficiaries, children and cooperatives will be consulted and trained to better monitor the quality of the food they receive. Scalability implies that it should be a nationwide project that can be appropriated by the MEC as the governing body of school food, from the central state.

Why is it relevant to OGP values? The commitment is relevant to OGP's values as it will strengthen transparency and access to public information and will generate greater opportunities for accountability and participation of School Commissions and ACES, generating interaction with the school community that will deepen the bond of quality of the food that children receive. Platform with available information, through the appropriation of the Government and the permanent updating of information.

Additional information The proposed Commitment is linked to the following Plans: National Development Plan Paraguay 2030 - PND 2030 Strategic Axis Transversal lines POVERTY REDUCTION AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT B- EFFICIENT AND TRANSPARENT PUBLIC MANAGEMENT 1.2. To provide quality social services Programs and projects in social policies PND 2030 Sustainable Development Goal 2030 - SDG 2030 END OF POVERTY SDG 4. QUALITY EDUCATION SDG 16. PEACE, JUSTICE, AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS

Goals and/or major milestones (Milestones with verifiable date | Start Date - End Date)

Software design meetings for the platform (4 meetings with Governor's Office, Aces and supervision) December 2022 December 2023

Control of the quantity of rations received by each of the 24 schools (verification of award documents, minutes of receipt of rations by the directors of each school). December 2022 April 2023

Application and analysis of a survey to children on the delivery and quality of school meals (240 children surveyed from the population of 24 schools in Misiones). December 2022 December 2023

Socialization of information on the level of satisfaction (meetings with the Secretary of Education of the Governor's Office, ACES and Supervisors). December 2022 February 2023

Meetings with school cooperatives to design a school food manual. December 2022 February 2023