More explanations have been forthcoming on the IT contract for the registration system between the state university and a foreign company. Bethania Apolinar, technology advisor to the UASD said that the state university could not rescind its contract with a US-based IT provider, Ellucian (formerly Sungard Higher Education) because it is a 10-year contract. The contract was signed in 2007 and cost US$5 million, as reported in Listin Diario. Diario Libre reports that in addition, US$150,000 needs to be made in annual payments. Jimmy Rosario, an IT advisor to the UASD, said that the university has no arrears with the company.
Emma Polanco, vice administrative rector of the UASD, denied that the IT company was imposing blockages as a way of pressuring for payment, as claimed by Minister of Higher Education Ligia Amada Melo. Polanco, in an interview with El Caribe, denied there was any debt. She said the problems with registration arose because everyone comes in to register at the same time. She said that when 180,000 students enter at the same time, each choosing up to eight subjects, the traffic slows down the system. She said they are aware of this and are working to resolve it.
El Dia reports nevertheless that the problems in the registration system are due to a multi-million dollar debt owed to the companies that installed the registration platform. The platform was part of the Siri-UASD project to automate the registration process for which the UASD had US$14 million in financing granted by a Taiwanese bank. Nevertheless, under the rectorship of Roberto Reyna only US$5 million was budgeted, as reported in El Dia. The newspaper said despite making more than 10 calls, Roberto Reyna was not available to answer an El Dia journalist’s questions.
As reported, part of the money was used to purchase the platform and the company Inergy was subcontracted by the software provider that was then known as Sungard Education, now Ellucian. El Dia reports: “Inergy made the application in 2007 but did not fully install it because the money ‘in an act of magic’ was gone when only US$5 million had been invested.” It explains that the company then installed version 7.3 and updated it to 8.5. Rector Reyna wanted the project fast, but there was not enough time and a debt of US$2 million remained, which was why the process was stopped, as reported.
When Reyna ended his term, the next rector Franklin Garcia Fermin reduced the payment to less than a million but the company refused to continue the job until the full amount was paid.
Last year, given all the problems and the insecurity of the platform, rector Mateo Aquino Febrillet decided to pay the debt in full. El Dia reporters questioned the difference between the US$14 million and the US$5 million but rector Febrillet was not available for questions.
El Dia reports that Inergy then left the project and Ellician took over, updating the platform to version 8.5 that now requires each student to have a valid email address, username and password. At that point the problems with the IT platform made front-page headlines when 25,000 students couldn’t enroll on time and the university had to extend the enrollment period. The university has extended the registration period to 29 January to accommodate the students who have not yet been able to register for the semester.
http://eldia.com.do/nacionales/2013/1/24/105230/Problema-plataforma-de-UASD-obedece-a-una-deuda-millonaria