I heard that ALL catholic schools are becoming public schools because of government funding, but the Adventist school people are upset since no one thought of them for this.
- Thread starter bronzeallspice
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All children in full-day public schools by 2016
I heard that ALL catholic schools are becoming public schools because of government funding, but the Adventist school people are upset since no one thought of them for this.
when the 4% was announced for education, i had a lot of debates with people about how useful it would be in really improving education here. they were all ecstatic, i was doubtful. i still am. the main reason for that is because i maintain that the DR is not an education culture. education is not on the list of priorities, or it would not be in such a dismal state.
building schools is a decent first step, but buildings do not teach kids. what buildings do is to demand a construction budget which gets fleeced by the public officials. breakfast and lunch budgerts create another source of income for politicos, in that the contracts are given to friends and relatives, who have to kick back.
as for teachers..i do not know where they are going to come from, because they are not here right now. 50 years ago, when the DR peso was on par with the dollar, you could bring foreign teachers in to shore up the brigades. now, at 45 to 1, it is not a realistic idea.
then there is the home. that is where it all starts. my daughter in law sent me a picture of herself , reading some little book to my 3 year old grandson. ask yourself how many Dominican mothers put their kids on their laps and read to them. then ask them how many of them sit their kids down when they get home from school, and make them do homework and an additional hour of schoolwork.
it is a lost cause. get used to it.
First: Catholic schools are NOT becoming "public" - they are becoming "semi-private." It is the only way they can compete with the public system as far as salaries are concerned. The government takes over their payroll (pending proper certification of all teachers), and they receive a POA (which is about 50 USD per student every quarter). The school is able to run however they see fit as far as enrollment goes, but payment is limited. My kids go to a semi-private and we waited three years to get a spot. We pay 2,800 pesos a year (enrollment). The discipline is better... the education is Dominican education, but we knew that going in.
Second: Danilo is full of sh*t. In Santiago alone (especially in the school district 04), there is an overpopulation so bad in the half day schools, that they have classes taking place in parks and schoolyards. The full day program isn't just extending the hours of the school day, it is in coordination with a complete and total overhaul of the national curriculum. The new curriculum switched from a teacher-centric style to a student-centric, constructivist method, that (when rolled out) should be excellent.
sour
Second: Danilo is full of sh*t. In Santiago alone (especially in the school district 04), there is an overpopulation so bad in the half day schools, that they have classes taking place in parks and schoolyards. The full day program isn't just extending the hours of the school day, it is in coordination with a complete and total overhaul of the national curriculum. The new curriculum switched from a teacher-centric style to a student-centric, constructivist method, that (when rolled out) should be excellent.
sour
Yes, and they are still building more, which requires more hiring and training of teachers. Personally , with the razor wire on top of the fences they seem more like prisons than schools.
Well said. Your succinct message is one that I have been preaching for more than a decade.
yes, and no. There is an overpopulation in the current two-shift system for elementary schools. Therefore, most of the new physical space is really just taking the overflow from students who are already IN the system. In our district, there are something like 5,000 kids without seats in schools (and we're not talking about high school kids who have voluntarily left the system, this is the "primer ciclo" which is kindergarten through 3-5th grade).
The whole schema has been readjusted -- kindergarten is now government sanctioned (before, school started for the public system in firstgrade). The first "cycle" of elementary school will be 1-3rd, the second 4-6th. A middle school level has been created for 7-8th and high school will be the same (four years), but with more of an emphasis on skills training (politecnicos). The 7-10th grade will be together and 11--12th grade will be together. There is a lot of research for this structure and I think it will actually help a lot at the elementary or basic school level.
The second part is the new curriculum. It is really progressive, and if they keep working on it, it WILL change the face of education here. It is a constructivist, student-centered approach with more focus on "investigation" and "process" than on outcome. (which, to be clear, does not mean that the outcome is not important, it just means that students are left to work-it-out and become problem solvers. Obviously, the goal is for them to give adequate answers/solutions, but developing the skills to get there (try, try again!) is also important.)
I am the first skeptic. I've had a TON of problems with the ministerio since this has rolled out because of the way it is being implemented and I have a big mouth and don't know how to keep it shut. BUT, I do believe they are going in the right direction. If they can continue to work with teachers AND students, it will slowly change for the better. Our neighbor school (which is a huge mess of tanda-extendida and politics mixed together) is really working on educating the parents and looking for partners to help train their teachers -- the desire to change is there, we just need help getting there.
How is lunch going to work? Mi esposa cooks for her kids everyday before they head off to school.
The whole new process provides what the kids need: the typical "desayuno escolar" - which, to be fair, is pretty crappy - a juice box and bread or a "nutritive cookie". They also get lunch. It depends on the provider whether the food is good or not - the people who supply to us do a decent job. Sometimes the rice is not good, or they pair funny things together (like a moro with dry meat, so two dry things), but it's not terrible. The kids are used to it now.
The ministerio will also cover costs for all books (which has been true for the past few years). This year the INABIE gave out uniforms (of surprisingly good quality) and shoes, bookbags and notebooks in the most needy schools (the overflow went to the rest of the schools). The size distribution was a mess and not everyone got what they needed at first, (I was given 25 pairs of size 10 pants... but we only have 3-6 year olds now... I gave the pants to all of the kids in our community center programs who go to public school or whose colegio uses khakis).
The ministerio will also cover costs for all books (which has been true for the past few years). This year the INABIE gave out uniforms (of surprisingly good quality) and shoes, bookbags and notebooks in the most needy schools (the overflow went to the rest of the schools). The size distribution was a mess and not everyone got what they needed at first, (I was given 25 pairs of size 10 pants... but we only have 3-6 year olds now... I gave the pants to all of the kids in our community center programs who go to public school or whose colegio uses khakis).
If I can limit myself to the actual subject of full day schooling here , I take the view that , in many cases 6 hours is quite enough for the younger students. I taught as a volunteer for many years in several very poor schools.. had never done anything like that before, and the one thing that stood out was how tired many of the children were even at the end of their half day .The reasons for this were quite obvious. Most had to share a bed with two or three other family members and did not get enough sleep and they were also hungry . I could see them dozing off even when I was waiting to take my class
When I was at school we only had about 6 hours every day and then an hour or two of sport and I know that I used to get very tired in summer and spring time.
I am glad to read what la Teacher has written .. that is a step forward .
When I was at school we only had about 6 hours every day and then an hour or two of sport and I know that I used to get very tired in summer and spring time.
I am glad to read what la Teacher has written .. that is a step forward .
I think that the benefits provided by the government vary quite a bit from one provincia to another. In Barahona, parents must buy the uniforms and the textbooks, and they were charging students to take some tests as well. This was mentioned on Ecos del Sur, the Barahona digital "newspaper".
All the kids have to take their lunches with them as well, as no food is provided.
All the kids have to take their lunches with them as well, as no food is provided.
All government provided textbooks( all public schools) are free, in fact it is illegal to sell them. It is very cheap to take test 50 pesos, and usually only for the higher grades. Covers the cost of paper and printing. Not all schools are full day ; only the full day provide lunches. We uses government provided textbook and do not charge for them. We do charge for our own text books - English, French, and Spanish that are created by my wife. We have about 25 students that stay all day, lunch cost them 40 pesos and consists of rice, beans, chicken, salad and water. Sometimes spaghetti, fried plantains, locria , avocadoes...etc. Most kids seem to have chocolate milk or yogurt for breakfast.
I'm sure conditions vary within Barahona depending on school directors.
There have been problems in Barahona. But the Barahona school district is notoriously corrupt. It also has A LOT to do with the school principals and how they organize their POA (The annual budget). If the school district is not on top of things (ie: lots of politically appointed tecnicos and adminstration), then the school principals can do what they want, if the school district IS trying to do their job, there are less problems.
It's not to say the system is without problems. But, there are steps being made in the right direction.
It's not to say the system is without problems. But, there are steps being made in the right direction.
All Day ??????????
NEVER HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BEEN SAYING that FOR YEARS!!!
The "Catholic School" part is true!
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NEVER HAPPEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
BEEN SAYING that FOR YEARS!!!
The "Catholic School" part is true!
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC
Some textbooks are supplied free of charge in Barahona, others are not, I am told.
If things are improving, that is good to hear.
If things are improving, that is good to hear.