Telephone service was suspended at the Education Ministry last Thursday, marking the second time this year the ministry has been left incommunicado. Previously, the government department headed by Milagros Ortiz Bosch had its lines cut for non-payment. Service was restored several weeks later in June after a payment agreement was worked out. Hoy newspaper says that the current suspension will particularly affect the thousands of 8th and 12th grade students who need the results of their standardized tests (Pruebas Nacionales) to pass the grade, and, for the elder students, to enter university. The results of the 321,000 students who took these exams in July will be posted at http://www.see.gov.do only if telecom services are restored. Administrative director of the Education Ministry Julio Cordero told Hoy that they had made a payment of RD$26 million to Verizon in the past month. The department defaulted, however, on a RD$8-million payment that was due 30 June.