NewsWhore
07-25-2008, 05:20 PM
Education Minister Alejandrina German continues to make headlines regarding the nutritional quality of drinks her department purchases for public school children.
The latest development carried by Hoy newspaper focuses on her criticism to the press for its handling of her statements. But Hoy today stands by what it had published on the minister changing the parameters for nutritional quality standard of the breakfast drink, and contradicting herself when announcing the new standards.
The Ministry of Education's own Student Welfare (Bienestar Estudiantil) department establishes 3.3% minimum protein in its written requirements for school breakfast drink providers. The Ministry program costs RD$18 million a day. But now Education Minister Alejandrina German says that a level of 2.64% is "normal" and acceptable.
Hoy newspaper had made the point yesterday, and received accusations of manipulating the news. The minister said she was "amazed and impressed" by the capacity of the press to manipulate information on the school breakfast drink. German says that the media publishes its own truth and not the "real" truth.
Today, Hoy responded to the criticism by publishing the minister's exact. In the recording German can be heard saying: "3.3 is what the required standard states." But then she goes on to contradict herself by saying that the Institute of Innovation in Biotechnology and Industry (IIBI) has a different scale to rate the acceptability of drink from suppliers, and that she uses these parameters "until they are changed." According to her, IIBI accepts 80% of the protein standard as normal and 90-100% as good.
But when afternoon Nuria & Huchi talk show journalist Huchi Lora called Bernarda Castillo, director of IIBI to question her on the new lower parameters that now German says IIBI has set for the school breakfast, Castillo denied setting a new standard. Castillo said that the parameters have not changed and are 3.3. "The Ministry of Education sends the parameters. We only analyze [the drink], we do not change parameters," said Castillo.
Recently, investigative journalist Nuria Piera presented a report on the low nutritional quality of the school drink sourced from Ladom, that has received 40% of drink allotments.
Piera also presented the findings of a comprehensive UASD chemistry thesis that also determined the low nutritional quality of the drink from samples in 2005-2006, and singled out one company with well below the minimum protein levels.
Piera presented a Ladom company recording where the receptionist corroborates that a daughter of the minister at the time was a high-ranking employee of the company that has carried out millionaire investment in new installations. The journalist has also carried a report on a luxury home the minister has built in the Jarabacoa mountain area.
To see the original videos on the school breakfast by Piera, see http://www.nuria.com.do
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)
The latest development carried by Hoy newspaper focuses on her criticism to the press for its handling of her statements. But Hoy today stands by what it had published on the minister changing the parameters for nutritional quality standard of the breakfast drink, and contradicting herself when announcing the new standards.
The Ministry of Education's own Student Welfare (Bienestar Estudiantil) department establishes 3.3% minimum protein in its written requirements for school breakfast drink providers. The Ministry program costs RD$18 million a day. But now Education Minister Alejandrina German says that a level of 2.64% is "normal" and acceptable.
Hoy newspaper had made the point yesterday, and received accusations of manipulating the news. The minister said she was "amazed and impressed" by the capacity of the press to manipulate information on the school breakfast drink. German says that the media publishes its own truth and not the "real" truth.
Today, Hoy responded to the criticism by publishing the minister's exact. In the recording German can be heard saying: "3.3 is what the required standard states." But then she goes on to contradict herself by saying that the Institute of Innovation in Biotechnology and Industry (IIBI) has a different scale to rate the acceptability of drink from suppliers, and that she uses these parameters "until they are changed." According to her, IIBI accepts 80% of the protein standard as normal and 90-100% as good.
But when afternoon Nuria & Huchi talk show journalist Huchi Lora called Bernarda Castillo, director of IIBI to question her on the new lower parameters that now German says IIBI has set for the school breakfast, Castillo denied setting a new standard. Castillo said that the parameters have not changed and are 3.3. "The Ministry of Education sends the parameters. We only analyze [the drink], we do not change parameters," said Castillo.
Recently, investigative journalist Nuria Piera presented a report on the low nutritional quality of the school drink sourced from Ladom, that has received 40% of drink allotments.
Piera also presented the findings of a comprehensive UASD chemistry thesis that also determined the low nutritional quality of the drink from samples in 2005-2006, and singled out one company with well below the minimum protein levels.
Piera presented a Ladom company recording where the receptionist corroborates that a daughter of the minister at the time was a high-ranking employee of the company that has carried out millionaire investment in new installations. The journalist has also carried a report on a luxury home the minister has built in the Jarabacoa mountain area.
To see the original videos on the school breakfast by Piera, see http://www.nuria.com.do
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)