Colombian Council Flags Corruption in Education Manager Program Amid Wider Participatory Budgeting Focus

Medellín city council members Andrés Tobón and Andrés Rodríguez criticised the Gestores Educativos programme, which is largely run by the Colegio Mayor de Antioquia alongside ITM and Pascual Bravo. Councilors alleged a lack of oversight, double allocation of funds, and alleged payments to programme coordinator Hugo Alejandro Barrera and manager Sara Camila Vélez. They noted that the number of students served had fallen by more than 60 % over five years while the programme’s budget reached roughly 7.9 billion Colombian pesos for 2026, raising concerns about efficiency and possible corruption.

In Ecuador, the municipal government of Patate organized a training workshop on the 2027 Participatory Budget, coordinated with the Consejo de Participación Ciudadana y Control Social (CPCCS). Officials and representatives from Patate, Baños de Agua Santa, Santiago de Píllaro and local parish governments attended, discussing how to integrate community priorities into planning and improve transparency and co‑responsibility in public investment.

Both events illustrate ongoing debates over the use and management of participatory budgeting mechanisms in Latin America.