The National Educational Council has decided that the new school year should begin on 22 August instead of on the first Monday of September, as in the past. This adds 25 school days to the calendar. As a result of the decision, next school year will have 220 days instead of 190, thus making for a 46-week school year. The Council also created a series of Ethics Committees that will oversee the administration of the National Tests that all school children have to take in 8th and 12th grades. The Council’s vote was unanimous. The Council also agreed on workshops on 17-19 August that will plan out the school year. The new program also calls for monthly evaluations of the students. From 2 to 16 May 2006, students will be required to pre-register for the following year.
The Association of Dominican Professors (ADP) was not particularly happy with the announcements, since they were not consulted about the changes in the school calendar. As reported in the Diario Libre, ADP president Eduardo Cuello said that the 2-16 May dates for pre-registration are likely to be disrupted by next year’s Congress and municipal election process. He was also upset because there was no mention of a salary adjustment to compensate for the extra days of teaching.