The Higher Council of the Universidad Industrial de Santander addressed two issues of relevance to the department: the formulation of the Public Transparency and Ethics Program, aimed at continuing to strengthen integrity and trust in institutional management, and a proposed partnership with the Gobernación to support the strengthening of basic and secondary education in Santander.
UIS is thus moving forward in the development of tools for increasingly ethical, open, and responsible administration. The Public Transparency and Ethics Program was developed participatively with the university community and seeks to consolidate a culture of integrity within the institution.
855 Contributions to Strengthen Transparency
Students, professors, administrative staff, and graduates participated in the development of the program. In total, the University received 855 contributions with proposals to strengthen transparency, prevent risks, and build greater trust.
Alexandra Cortés Aguilar, director of Planning at UIS, explained that the program includes strategic actions to promote transparency, measure progress, and monitor compliance. “This program was developed participatively with our university community,” said Cortés Aguilar.
The initiative incorporates elements from the former Anti-Corruption Plan and adds components related to risk management, including those associated with money laundering and other risks inherent to public administration.
Its scope also covers the University’s core functions, involving the entire university community and seeking to ensure that transparency and ethics become an integral part of institutional management.
The program began its formulation the previous year and went through different stages of review and participation.
Gobernación Proposes Partnership to Strengthen Schools
The second topic was related to basic and secondary education. The Gobernación de Santander proposed establishing a partnership with public higher education institutions to address infrastructure needs and improve learning environments in schools.
Governor Juvenal Díaz Mateus stated that universities can contribute their knowledge and technical expertise to help address some of the difficulties facing primary and secondary education.
He explained that contributions from santandereanos to higher education amount to approximately $1.5 billion, calculated at 2016 prices. The goal now is to analyze how this effort can also contribute to strengthening schools.
“It was decided to review with the three university rectors how we can also channel this effort toward basic, primary, and secondary education,” said the governor.
Díaz Mateus warned about the conditions of various educational institutions, including infrastructure and maintenance problems, as well as asbestos roofing. He also mentioned lawsuits totaling more than $123 billion and class actions amounting to nearly $39 billion related to these needs.
The proposal includes seeking, with the support of the Asamblea Departamental, a mechanism that would make it possible to allocate permanent resources for improving educational infrastructure.
In addition, progress was proposed on the construction of the UIS campus in San Gil through the coordination of resources from the Gobernación and the University.
More Than Classrooms and Roofs
The Secretary of Education of Santander, Karina Araujo Maestre, emphasized that the purpose of this collaboration is to guarantee better learning conditions for children and young people.
The official pointed to difficulties involving water and sanitation and electrical networks, asbestos roofing, and other physical components of educational facilities.
“We want the university to work together with us so that our girls, boys, and adolescents have these conducive environments,” she said.
Araujo Maestre stressed that the objective is not limited to solving physical problems, but also to creating appropriate spaces for students’ comprehensive development.
“We are not talking about classrooms and roofs; we are talking about dignified spaces where learning can take place effectively, especially during those early stages of development,” she stated.
In this way, the Higher Council put forward two distinct priorities: strengthening the culture of transparency and ethics at UIS and exploring a partnership to improve the conditions of basic and secondary education in Santander.
While the first initiative seeks to consolidate trust in institutional management, the second proposes leveraging the capabilities of higher education to help close gaps in the department’s schools.
