DR1 Daily News - Dominican Republic

Looking for an exemplary case of wasteful spending in government? Look no further. The Abinader administration’s Propeep-managed literacy program will do.

On 28 April 2021, Minister Jose Leonel (Neney) Cabrera, in charge of Strategic Special Projects for the Presidency, had announced the relaunching of the National Learn to Read and Write Plan (Quisqueya Aprende Contigo). Yet, in a report in Diario Libre, newspaper reporters say that government statistics indicate Propeep has managed RD$1,845,598,307.68 for the program, but has little to show for the almost two billion spent. Government records show that in the past two years, only 6,622 persons have learned to read and write with the program. The breakdown is 4,368 in 2021 and 2,254 in 2022, making it one of the most expensive programs in the Abinader administration.

The newspaper says each person who learned to...