After 14 years of massive budgets, Dominican education is still woefully behind

[Dolores]

In 2011, Harvard’s Center for International Development delivered the results of a study of Dominican public educations as contracted by the administration of Leonel Fernandez.

The report stated, in part, that “the reason for increasing the expenditures on education by itself does not guarantee significant improvements in the quality of the same, and this is because while more will be spent on paying teachers, purchasing books, and building schools), in the literature there have been very few [cases] where increased expenses have had a great effect on student performance, and in many cases they have ended up being insignificant.”

What Harvard was saying was that more money would not help unless serious reforms were put into place.

Today, after 14 years of public education receiving 4% of the yearly budget, a total of over RD$2 trillion or more than US$40...

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[bob saunders]

There has been quite a bit of effort put into increasing teachers knowledge level but it doesn't seem to have been effective. In my opinion, most of the people that are teachers are not dedicated to their profession. They are teachers because it provides more money than most other jobs available. You have to remember most of these teachers are the products of that poor education system. The general knowledge level of the average teacher is less than my 12 year old nieces in Canada.

 

[drstock]

One of the main problems, in my opinion, is the amount of time when the kids don't have to go to school. The kids I support seem to have at least a day off school per week, be it for reasons of bad weather, staff meetings, teacher illness or death, etc., etc. On top of that, as Mr Saunders says above, there is a lack of teacher motivation. The boy I helps is disappointed in how his English education is going because the teacher spends most of the lesson on his phone and just leaves the kids to get on with it.

 

[PJT]

There has been quite a bit of effort put into increasing teachers knowledge level but it doesn't seem to have been effective. In my opinion, most of the people that are teachers are not dedicated to their profession. They are teachers because it provides more money than most other jobs available. You have to remember most of these teachers are the products of that poor education system. The general knowledge level of the average teacher is less than my 12 year old nieces in Canada.

Some teachers are outstanding. However, many others have poor portfolios. A large amount of money was forced into the construction of new schools during the latter part of the PLD administrations. However, the situation then and now is many classrooms have no qualified teachers to fill them. It is not unusual to enter a school having community member with an education level not any higher than the students minding the students. Because, the regular teacher is not there for the day, in another classroom, or the position has not been filled. The government gets what it pays for. The students suffer a lack of commitment to them.

Regards,

PJT

 

[JD Jones]

Some teachers are outstanding. However, many others have poor portfolios. A large amount of money was forced into the construction of new schools during the latter part of the PLD administrations. However, the situation then and now is many classrooms have no qualified teachers to fill them. It is not unusual to enter a school having community member with an education level not any higher than the students minding the students. Because, the regular teacher is not there for the day, in another classroom, or the position has not been filled. The government gets what it pays for. The students suffer a lack of commitment to them.

Regards,

PJT

I think the mentality was build the schools first, then find the teachers to fill them. And they did build a lot of schools. I don't know the number, but you see them everywhere.

Lots of money to be made in building schools - hiring teachers... not so much. If you get my drift.

 

[CristoRey]

When it comes to actually learning the Dominican public schools are almost as bad as the schools in America's northeast.

Keep'em slow and dumb while continuing to provide them with low wage jobs.

 

[PJT]

I think the mentality was build the schools first, then find the teachers to fill them. And they did build a lot of schools. I don't know the number, but you see them everywhere.

Lots of money to be made in building schools - hiring teachers... not so much. If you get my drift.

Yes, lots of money to be made... Especially, for politicians getting commissions for the procurements and contacts they sponsor. Especially, for officials influencing who win school tender awards Especially, for officials arranging questionably qualified teachers to be hired as favors for favors.

Regards,

PJT