Striking increase in Haitian students in Dominican public schools

[Dolores]

The Ministry of Education confirms what is apparent – Haitians are studying in Dominican public schools every day more by the thousands.

Dominican Republic’s educational landscape is undergoing a significant transformation, driven primarily by a surge in Haitian student enrollment. According to the Ministry of Education (MINERD), the number of Haitian students enrolled in Dominican schools has skyrocketed by 78% between 2021 and 2024, El Nacional reports.

While the overall student population in the country increased by 9.6% during this period, Haitian students have far outpaced this growth. In 2021, there were 105,021 Haitian students enrolled, a figure that jumped to 186,975 by 2024. This represents an increase of 81,954 students in just four years.

In contrast, the growth rate of Dominican students was significantly lower, at only 6.3%.

The...

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[LindseyKaufman]

When I first lived here we worked in the Haitian communities. At that time Haitians needed to pay a bribe to the school director to enroll their child. Then I remember after a few years the schools were told they had to accept all Haitian children who want to enroll.

 

[windeguy]

Forcing schools to accept Haitian students seems counterproductive to the goal of deporting 500,000 Haitians per year.
It could just be me who sees that conundrum. Could changes be afoot to this open door policy in contrast to the deportations as the government moves forward?

 

[Salsafan]

Integration.

 

[JLSawmam]

I would think there would be some enrollment information gathered by the schools on each student. Would Migracion at some point seek that info to use in deportation efforts? Yeah, maybe.

 

[windeguy]

I would think there would be some enrollment information gathered by the schools on each student. Would Migracion at some point seek that info to use in deportation efforts? Yeah, maybe.

That is what I was thinking as well. Time will tell.

It used to be that a birth certificate was required to attend school. Did that change?

 

[chico bill]

My bet is they will do better than the average Dominican

 

[LindseyKaufman]

That is what I was thinking as well. Time will tell.

It used to be that a birth certificate was required to attend school. Did that change?

If the child was born here in a hospital, a document from the hospital can be received that can be used instead of a birth certificate. If the child wasn’t born here, I don’t know.

 

[josh2203]

From the DR1 article: "In addition to tuition, all students receive school meals, uniforms, backpacks, school supplies, tablets and computers and more."

Was it not mentioned that people have to purchase the uniform and supplies and backpack? So they get these or they don't? My wife's sister's kids went to public school and they most definitely had to buy all the clothing and supplies.

 

[cavok]

If the child was born here in a hospital, a document from the hospital can be received that can be used instead of a birth certificate. If the child wasn’t born here, I don’t know.

I thought being born here was not sufficient to be considered a citizen(?). Also, in the past, a birth certificate could only be obtained from the the Fiscalia Civil in the province where the baby was born.

 

[bob saunders]

That is what I was thinking as well. Time will tell.

It used to be that a birth certificate was required to attend school. Did that change?

Just has to be an official BC, doesn't have to be a Dominican one. We have children in the school with Haitian birth certificates, Venezuelan, American, Spanish, Switzerland, Netherlands, Swedish. Dominican law says all children are entitled to education, but they still require documentation.

 

[cavok]

Just has to be an official BC, doesn't have to be a Dominican one. We have children in the school with Haitian birth certificates, Venezuelan, American, Spanish, Switzerland, Netherlands, Swedish.

But you're a private, non-profit school, not a public one, no?

 

[bob saunders]

But you're a private, non-profit school, not a public one, no?

Same rules apply, except we don't have to accept students unless we want to. And we are a for-profit private school. We currently have around 20 Haitian students and the majority of those were born here in Jarabacoa.

 

[windeguy]

Same rules apply, except we don't have to accept students unless we want to. And we are a for-profit private school. We currently have around 20 Haitian students and the majority of those were born here in Jarabacoa.

So just a piece of paper recording a birth at a hospital is legally not sufficient to be enrolled in school? It has to be a legal birth certificate?

 

[bob saunders]

But you're a private, non-profit school, not a public one, no?

no, Private for profit, and all the same rules apply to private school as public schools, except we don't have to accept any student.

 

[cavok]

Same rules apply, except we don't have to accept students unless we want to. And we are a for-profit private school. We currently have around 20 Haitian students and the majority of those were born here in Jarabacoa.

Ok. As a private school, you can accept whomever you want pretty much. Why should a public school have to educate illegal, non-citizen children?

 

[Notengo]

Ok. As a private school, you can accept whomever you want pretty much. Why should a public school have to educate illegal, non-citizen children?

Basic rights I guess. It is not the children’s choice being illegal. If your dad committed a crime would you have gone to jail?

 

[cavok]

Basic rights I guess. It is not the children’s choice being illegal. If your dad committed a crime would you have gone to jail?

The schools are overcrowded as it is. Why should Dominican kids have to suffer as a result of illegal immigration. BY putting children of illegals in public schools here, you're incentivizing further illegal immigration. The kids and their parents should be deported.

 

[bob saunders]

So just a piece of paper recording a birth at a hospital is legally not sufficient to be enrolled in school? It has to be a legal birth certificate?

Correct, but that doesn't mean that the rules are always followed. We had a Haitian girl (almost newborn) that was given to a Dominican woman for five pesos. She raised that girl as her own and my wife allowed her to start school with womans own daughter. She used the womans last name and to this day she doesn't know her birth mother's name. At some time, the woman declared the girl as a late unregistered birth, father unknown and had some campo neighbors declare that they witnessed the birth at home. She became legal and Dominican with a legitimate (somewhat) birth Certificate. She is now 20 years old, a delightful and beautiful young lady that is probably 100 percent Haitian descent.

 

[drstock]

From the DR1 article: "In addition to tuition, all students receive school meals, uniforms, backpacks, school supplies, tablets and computers and more."

Was it not mentioned that people have to purchase the uniform and supplies and backpack? So they get these or they don't? My wife's sister's kids went to public school and they most definitely had to buy all the clothing and supplies.

I certainly had to pay for those items at a public school for the kids I support here. But when we've discussed this before I think we came to the conclusion that supplies are limited and the schools give them to the kids they assess not to be able to afford them.