Deputy Minister and Director of Cooperation of the Minerd Resign

The deputy minister, Julissa Hernández Durán, and the director of the International Cooperation Office, Idionis Pérez Encarnación, have resigned their positions in the Ministry of Education.

Hernández Durán was appointed to the position in August 2020, as the deputy minister and her functions, according to the position manual of the Ministry of Public Administration, were in charge of the National Office of Educational Planning and Development.

She was known for being Minister Roberto Fulcar Encarnación’s helper and her duties included advising the Minister and other directors on policies, plans, programs and projects in the basic education sector in accordance with current regulations. Hernandez also participated in the design for educational policies for the pre-university sector.

However, in her two years as Vice Minister of Planning, neither the reports nor the educational statistics corresponding to the 2020-2021 and 2021-2022 school years were published on the Minerd website. These statistics collect data on enrollment, level of studies, sex and number of students by region, among others.

Pérez Encarnación (the ex director) is the first cousin of Fulcar Encarnación and is linked to the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD). He was appointed to the International Cooperation Office on September 5, 2021, through Departmental Order 08-2021.

It was questioned that he was appointed despite the family relationship with Fulcar and because he had been a pensioner at the National Institute for Professional Technical Training (Infotep), where he was director, and another pension that he received through the Ministry of Finance.

The collection of pensions exceeds 200,000 pesos, made up of the sum of 80,000 that he receives via the retirement and pension unit of the Ministry of Finance and the other that he receives of 145,000 pesos as a retiree from Infotep.

This occurred in violation of Law 41-08, on Public Function, in number 4 of article 80 establishes the incompatibility of more than one remuneration charged to the treasury and Law 105-13, on Salary Regulation of the Dominican State that in the Article 24 provides that public officials may not receive any remuneration from the State, other than that of their job.

Source: Socorro Arias, Diario Libre