Senate education committee presses Department of Education for corrected device and internet-voucher counts

San Juan — The Senate Commission on Education, Tourism and Culture on July 15, 2021 heard Department of Education officials describe how laptops, tablets and Internet-voucher redemptions were distributed to public-school students and teachers during the pandemic and in the aftermath of recent earthquakes.

Senator Ada García Montes, president of the commission, opened the hearing by citing Resolution del Senado número 5, which directs a “thorough investigation” into the distribution process. "La resolución del Senado número cinco tiene el propósito de investigar el proceso de repartición de los dispositivos electrónicos a estudiantes y maestros del sistema de educación pública," she said, framing the session around numbers, outstanding deliveries and how complaints have been handled.

María Ortiz, director of the Department—s Office of Information Systems and Technology Support, presented the department—s summary of registered devices and delivery steps. She told the commission that, according to departmental records, "De los doscientos setenta y tres mil cuatrocientos…