The Ministry of Education and First Lady Margarita Cedeno de Fernandez have signed an agreement aimed at encouraging students to stay in school. Public school students in 11th and 12th grades will receive a RD$750 cash payment every two months if they stay in school. The initiative will also provide RD$500 in cash every two months to students who stay enrolled in 9th and 10th grades. The Vice President’s Gabinete Social and the Progresando con Solidaridad program will coordinate the funding.
As reported in El Dia, the program will benefit 400,000 students from low-income families. Each of these families already receives RD$150 per month per student enrolled in the state school system.