The Governor appointed Yanira Rices as Secretary of the Department of Education

The Governor of Puerto Rico, Pedro R. Pierluisi Urrutia, announced the appointment of Dr. Yanira Rices Vega as the new Secretary of the Department of Education of Puerto Rico (DEPR).

This is Pierluzzi Urrutia’s fifth appointment since arriving at the Palace of Santa Catalina. Before Reyes Vega, Elba Aponte, Magali Rivera, Eliezer Ramos and a week ago Angel Toledo Lopez were placed in the same chair.

Toledo López’s nomination, which caused an uproar mainly in the Legislature, was withdrawn by the governor last Friday, when the Senate invited him to meet with him, expecting that he lacked the votes to confirm him. Senators from both the New Progressive Party (PNP) and the Popular Democratic Party (PPD) had reservations against Toledo Lopez, mainly because of his comments on social networks and his criticism of the work of then-PPD Governor Alejandro García Padilla.

Now, Pierluisi Urrutia chose Rice Vega, who has “extensive experience as an educator, consultant and pedagogical researcher”. Raíces Vega’s name rings for the highest chair in the DEPR since the departure of the current former secretary, Elba Aponte.

The designer has held various positions in the PRDE for more than 20 years and until today served as Regional Superintendent of Bayamon. He served as Assistant Secretary for Educational Planning and Development and as an expert in educational research.

Likewise, he served as interim director of the Center for Educational Research and Innovation and later became assistant secretary for educational change, planning, and performance. In 2020, he directed the administrative functions of the Juvenile Institutions and Reform Schools Program.

“Dr. Raises is a leader of the Department of Education and has collaborated on several successful projects including modernization and construction of schools under the 21st Century Schools Program and development of platforms such as teacher evaluation system and online. Record promoting digitization processes in the agency. As Regional Superintendent of Bayamon, in Administrative Processes He stands out for his tenacity and openness in communicating with different school communities, which I am sure will continue to inspire as his secretary. I emphasize that education is the pillar of community development and, therefore, a priority for my administration. For this reason, the qualifications, skills to lead such an important institution. And I have appointed a professional with experience,” said Rice Vega’s governor, who hails from a family of educators in the public sector.

In the private sector, Rices Vega was a university professor at the Central University of Bayamon and the University of the Caribbean. In addition, he was a lecturer at the Colegio Universitario del Este.

Dr. Reyes Vega holds a bachelor’s degree in natural sciences and a master’s degree in evaluation research from the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras campus. In addition, she holds a doctorate in curriculum and instruction from the Inter-American University of Puerto Rico.