With the participation of many sectors of society, more than 70,000 people have enrolled to start the first cycle of the National Literacy Plan (Quisqueya Learns With You), to learn to read and write. An estimated 850,000 Dominicans are illiterate. The formal launch is set for 4pm at the Nelly Biaggi School in El Almirante in Santo Domingo East, and simultaneous activities will be held in all the country’s provinces attended by the provincial and municipal authorities.
Distributed across 6,064 groups nationwide, people over the age of 15 will now have the opportunity to learn to read and write, learn about their rights and duties as citizens, and become more proactive, while the government tries to correct an old social debt.
The number of teachers – “alphabetizers” in government speak – could reach 7,000 but according to Pedro Luis Castellanos, the director general of Special Programs of the Presidency and Coordinator of the Plan technical team, as of yesterday, they were still training the volunteers.
University students and professionals in a range of disciplines, mostly involved in education, will be teaching their fellow citizens to read and write. Successful graduates of the program will be able to continue their primary studies on a flexible schedule and in adult educational programs.