Fewer than 1,000 people in the country cannot read or write

Peterj

Peterj

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Oct 7, 2002
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Dominican Republic
Fewer than 1,000 people in the country cannot read or write

According to the latest bulletin from the "Quisqueya Learns With You" National Literacy Plan, there are now fewer than 1,000 illiterate people who are yet to enroll in the plan. This means that the task of ensuring that everyone in the country can read and write is now 99.9% complete in the two years and five months that it has been operational.

So far 850,498 people have been enrolled in the plan and only 990 are left to enroll as according to the 2010 Census, 851,396 people over the age of 15 could neither read nor write.


Source: DR1.com

It's true, besides this I saw Elvis, Harry Potter and Lady Di together with Freddy Mercury having lunch the other day at McDonalds.....
 
Robert

Robert

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I think we all know its complete BS. What do they define as read and write? Your name and cell phone number?

Looks like they have been very creative with the numbers.
 
M

Marcion

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Nov 22, 2014
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This is great news as the government begins hiring applicants for the Dominican Space Agency.
 
bob saunders

bob saunders

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While there is obviously there are more than a thousand illiterate Dominicans, the program has been very successful and I have seen the evidence.
 
M

MerengueDutchie

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Oct 13, 2003
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I'm sure it has been a succesfull program - but why the blatant lying about the numbers?

Maybe in order to declare 'the war is won' and remove funding towards bigger and better stuff like jeepeta's?
 
C

Commander Ooh La La USN

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Apr 7, 2014
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Robert said:
I think we all know its complete BS. What do they define as read and write? Your name and cell phone number?

Looks like they have been very creative with the numbers.
Click to expand...
What is their determination of literacy? Potent question. 1st grade literacy and 8th grade literacy SHOULD BE worlds apart.
I dont know if it is related or not but I think a corrollary issue is "Do the people WANT to be literate?", "Do they respect literacy?" As a collective community I dont think so at all. Some people dont care how they spell words or even they are using the appropriate language referenced word. Some of that is the overinfluence of English language words in pop culture and relatives in the US. But some of it is also because these people spend alot of time speaking colloquially that to a finer ear it sounds like gibberish what they say and how they write.
 
H

HUG

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Feb 3, 2009
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That number MIGHT cover the area La Caleta, santo Domingo alone. Seriously, it is absolutely normal to meet people who can not read, write, have no idea how old they are, when thier birthday is. Many can not tell the time unless on a 12hour digital display. You'll often see people wearing watches yet referring to thier cel phone to tell the time etc.
The guy who does the odd jobs around our street is the loveliest guy you'll ever want to meet, has no idea how old he is, he must be about 27, and he lives with his parents who have no clue either. How this can happen is beyond me. It's the kind of thing you expect from lost tribes of the amazon, but not such a developed country as DR. But, like I always say, the DR does not need to be regarded as a 'developing' country if the minds of the natives were open to developement. Everything is there except the mentality of the people.
 
T

the gorgon

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Sep 16, 2010
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i think that the Dominican education directorate has used the lowest common denominator to denote literacy. putting letters together to sound out words is known as decoding. that is what is used here. in other countries, the person has to be able to use the decoded word in a sentence, so that is a higher standard of literacy. in some countries, the person being tested for literacy will have to have attended school, not just some neighborhood literacy class.

therefore, a person who is considered literate in the DR, using the minimal criteria, would be an illiterate in the British caribbean territories.
 
E

ExDR

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Jul 31, 2014
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This is hogwash! There is no way that 99% of DR is literate. It's probably at 75% with the other 24% saying that they can read because they are ashame. While being able to read does not mean that they are functionally literate. Being able to read "see jane run" is not going to do naything for anybody. Try again DR.
So far 850,498 people have been enrolled in the plan and only 990 are left to enroll as according to the 2010 Census, 851,396 people over the age of 15 could neither read nor write.
 
T

the gorgon

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Sep 16, 2010
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this is the Australian definition of literacy

age 15 and over can read brief texts on familiar topics (2011-2)[4]

the UK definition includes 5 years of schooling.

cheese and chalk, ladies and gentlemen.
 
L

LTSteve

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Jul 9, 2010
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Peterj said:
Fewer than 1,000 people in the country cannot read or write

According to the latest bulletin from the "Quisqueya Learns With You" National Literacy Plan, there are now fewer than 1,000 illiterate people who are yet to enroll in the plan. This means that the task of ensuring that everyone in the country can read and write is now 99.9% complete in the two years and five months that it has been operational.

So far 850,498 people have been enrolled in the plan and only 990 are left to enroll as according to the 2010 Census, 851,396 people over the age of 15 could neither read nor write.


Source: DR1.com

It's true, besides this I saw Elvis, Harry Potter and Lady Di together with Freddy Mercury having lunch the other day at McDonalds.....
Click to expand...

You are mis-reading this. It says that fewer than 1000 people are left to enroll in the plan. It does not mean they less than 1000 people can read and write. Out of the 850,000+ people enrolled in the plan it does not say how many can now read or write. That figure is probably much, much higher. Figures lie and liars figure.
 
Cdn_Gringo

Cdn_Gringo

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Apr 29, 2014
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I wish to have a palapa/casita built in my yard. Was having difficulty explaining dimensions, orientation and the interior layout. So I drew a picture. 3 out of five proclaimed they understood exactly what I wanted, all the while holding the drawing upside down. My bad I didn't label the top with an arrow...assuming the roof would be a dead giveaway. Maybe the lack of mono-syllable words was the problem. Darn, I was hoping not to have to write out a 1000 word description.
 
M

Meemselle

Just A Few Words
Oct 27, 2014
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Commander Ooh La La said:
I dont know if it is related or not but I think a corrollary issue is "Do the people WANT to be literate?", "Do they respect literacy?" As a collective community I dont think so at all. Some people dont care how they spell words or even they are using the appropriate language referenced word. Some of that is the overinfluence of English language words in pop culture and relatives in the US. But some of it is also because these people spend alot of time speaking colloquially that to a finer ear it sounds like gibberish what they say and how they write.
Click to expand...

Agreed. To achieve universal literacy, the country has to create a social climate that values---in fact, cherishes --- it, and that's not the social/intellectual climate. What's currently valued/cherished, is the pipe dream of quick riches gansta style. The value placed on "book-learnin" is not high.

Try and think about Dominican writers, and I bet once you get past Junot Diaz and Julia Alvarez it's a stretch. And they don't write in Spanish. I guess you could include Balaguer.
 
C

Criss Colon

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Jan 2, 2002
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bob saunders said:
While there is obviously there are more than a thousand illiterate Dominicans, the program has been very successful and I have seen the evidence.
Click to expand...

Sure it has BOB.
There are about 10 million dominicans on the island, how many have you tested for literacy???????????

OR, are you using OTHER government statistics!!!!!!!

How can they read, when they can't spell?????????????????

Do you wear a uniform when you CHEER FOR THE DR??????????????
"GO DR, GGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DR, YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH TEAM"!!!!!!!

ccccccccccccccccccccccc
 
bob saunders

bob saunders

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Jan 1, 2002
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HUG said:
That number MIGHT cover the area La Caleta, santo Domingo alone. Seriously, it is absolutely normal to meet people who can not read, write, have no idea how old they are, when thier birthday is. Many can not tell the time unless on a 12hour digital display. You'll often see people wearing watches yet referring to thier cel phone to tell the time etc.
The guy who does the odd jobs around our street is the loveliest guy you'll ever want to meet, has no idea how old he is, he must be about 27, and he lives with his parents who have no clue either. How this can happen is beyond me. It's the kind of thing you expect from lost tribes of the amazon, but not such a developed country as DR. But, like I always say, the DR does not need to be regarded as a 'developing' country if the minds of the natives were open to developement. Everything is there except the mentality of the people.
Click to expand...

I agree with your post except the last sentence. That should be some of the people. I always get the kids to read my watch when they ask me the time. It's a 50/50 chance that they can't, but I've taught many of them. It is taught in Grade two and three in Spanish, and in English starting in Grade four. Cell phone is just easier to read.
Even with my limited Spanish I spell better than many adult Dominicans. The program has been successful but to be truly successful it needs to be continuous for many years.
 
bob saunders

bob saunders

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Jan 1, 2002
32,549
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Criss Colon said:
Sure it has BOB.
There are about 10 million dominicans on the island, how many have you tested for literacy???????????

OR, are you using OTHER government statistics!!!!!!!

How can they read, when they can't spell?????????????????

Do you wear a uniform when you CHEER FOR THE DR??????????????
"GO DR, GGGGGOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DR, YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH TEAM"!!!!!!!

ccccccccccccccccccccccc
Click to expand...

They have sent teachers out to every little campo and those that were interested went to the program and learned how to read and write. Like anywhere , you can lead a horse to water but can't make it drink. Of course there are many Dominicans that didn't take the course that can't read and write, it is not a mandatory program.
In the public school system there are very few teachers that can identify learning disabilities, dyslexia,...etc., and 99% wouldn't know what to do if they could identify the problem. Many of these illiterates has some form of learning difficulty and never received the help required. We have received many children from the public system that are in grade two to five that should see speech therapists or other professionals but this help is very limited in the DR. My wife's post-grad speciality is educational psychology and we are fortunate to have a psychologist available as well.
The DR has numerous problems and the government could and should be better in every way, but I'd prefer to acknowledge when they have made progress than constantly complain. Some of us are glass half full people, and others are you.
 
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