 Between 1992 and 1993, during the presidency of Sixto Durán Ballén, Correa was a director at the Ministry of Education and Culture (MEC) in Ecuador, tasked with administrative oversight and supervision of improvement programs for the national educational system.The improvement programs were funded by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).In 2005, Correa was appointed to the position of economy and finance minister in the government of President Alfredo Palacio, having previously advised Palacio before his ascension to the presidency.