English required in school

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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this is new

This hit yahoo an hour ago. Also remeber it may just be for IMF consumption.
I figure after hillbilly gets time to look it over he will weigh in.
John
 

carina

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Mar 13, 2005
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A plan.. hope it will become true somewhere.
But it is not that easy.
The public schools have no money absolutely, and the educators there don?t speak English most of the cases. They have no money to hire new staff.

Many kids don?t even go to school, because of the fact that even public schools ( a few hours per day ) are too expensive.. uniforms, books, pencils..

I volunteer in 2 schools in Puerto Plata a few times a week, teaching English and also teaching/discussing any topics that come up,, in the hope to awake interests of the kids, in the hope to make them feel comfortable about themselves speaking in a group etc.
Many of those children, that ARE in the public school, even have siblings that for now cannot attend.

I see this plan as a good thought and a great intention, but the issue of schools needs to start from a complete other level..
The kids have photo copies instead of books, some have none, they have no pencils.. there are 1st graders learning to write by using water and a brush, writing on the black board!
 

Cleef

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Feb 24, 2002
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About time

This (idea) could certainly provide a tremendous boost to education in the country.

Sadly, my hunch is that the boost will come in the form of increased luxury vehicles and padded jobs for the leaches. Just a hunch.

In my limited experience, logic would tell me that if they failed to apply some far simpler measures (meals, books, running water, electricity, etc.) then there is no way this will actually be pulled off, with even marginal success.

If the pilot program is the grander of the attempts (schemes might be a better word in the end) and only offers 5 hours of English per week, you have to wonder what real benefits the standard program will offer.

The younger ones I have no doubt would benefit long term. But the older ones (10-12 yrs and older) will need far more than 5 hours a week. (Edited to add: at least in the first 5 or so years until the first wave moves into the upper grades).

The report comes off as a mandate of some sorts. From whom?

Could this just be window dressing to meet some IMF accord or the like?

The idea is certainly a step forward. 30 yrs. tardy however.
 

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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No Money

I just don't see the money. I am far from an expert but I just dont see it. Not enough english speakers available and the teachers don't get paid enough.
John
 

juancarlos

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Sep 28, 2003
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If they are having so much trouble with regular Spanish language education in public schools, I don't think they will have more success in teaching English. It is not that easy. I think they should concentrate on Spanish literacy first. Usually, it is in European or more developed nations where teaching English on such a scale is succesful. This is something that is not accomplished overnight. It takes decades and good teachers who are well trained and fluent in the language they are trying to teach. That is not the case in the DR. I think it is university graduates who should be expected to master a foreign language. The DR is not Puerto Rico, and even there, only those who have their masters or phd's are able to speak good and fluent English. And that's only because PR is a US commonwealth.
 

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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not enough details

This is story from Yahoo. If anyone has any info ther than the Yahoo article I would love to hear details.
John

SANTO DOMINGO, Dominican Republic - All public elementary and secondary schools in the Dominican Republic will institute mandatory English classes by the next school year, the education secretary said Wednesday.

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English will be taught for five hours a week in all grades beginning in September, Alejandrina German said.

In addition, one school from each district will be selected to participate in a pilot program for bilingual education. The program involves teaching mathematics, sciences, the arts, and physical education in English in the first nine grades, she said.

"We hope that with this program students will be able to contribute to their own social, economic, educational, and culture development as well as to that of their country," German said.

The United States and Britain are the Caribbean country's main trading partners, with about 87 percent of export revenue coming from sales to the United States.

Tourism has been an increasingly important part of the economy in the Spanish-speaking nation of 8.8 million people.

About 1 million Dominicans live in the United States.
 

carina

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Mar 13, 2005
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Addition to my comments from my point of view that I wrote above:

A child attending a public school goes either morning or afternoon class,
3 hours a day. That gives him 15 hours a week of school education.
Two thirds of this should go to English??

The thought is nice and unrealistic, and it won?t happen, and if so, what happens to the rest of the education subjects they are supposed to have; socials, sience, maths, Spanish, sports etc etc..

They?re dreaming instead of trying to handle the real problems in education today on the island.
 

jsizemore

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Aug 6, 2003
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like computers in america

I can remobemr when everyone toughted computer labs and half the schools spent money on systems no one knew how to teach with.
I dont see the resources. I do not disagree with the idea just dont see it happening.
John