The signing of the National Pact for Educational Reform has brought hope to different sectors of society. Positive evaluations have flooded in from community and civic groups. It was agreed that if the Pact is implemented and there is good compliance, there will be better quality of teaching.
The Pact was signed on Wednesday, 2 April in the Presidential Palace. It outlines the policies to follow in the national education sector through to the year 2030.
The Business Action for Education (Educa) considers the agreement to be an achievement of Dominican society bringing a transcendental turnaround towards educational excellence. Educa president Elena Viyella said that the pact represents a tremendous national commitment that should be complied with, without a doubt. Viyella says the Pact reflects the consensus of all of national leaders in education. She explained that the leaders contributed to a collaborative effort to achieve progressive transformations in the education system that will lead to a sustainable improvement in the quality of education. The businesswoman also acknowledged the importance of the commitment expressed by the teacher’s unions, especially the promise to comply with the full school work day and the academic calendar.
The Unicef representative in the country, Maria Jesus Conde stated that the Pact reflects the unanimous consensus of the political leaders, representatives of the civil society, public institutions, the educational community and of the private sector to improve the Dominican education system, and clearly integrate education into a cohesive state policy. “It is important to stress that the Pact strengthens the social policies that support education, promote equal opportunities, equality and inclusion. Conde specifically singled out issues and policies such as the registering of birth certificates, curriculum in nutrition, sexual and reproductive health for adolescents and implementing incentives for attending school, including offering scholarships.
The former president of the Dominican Teachers Association (ADP), Maria Teresa Cabrera said she also feels that the Pact makes important contributions to the improvement of the educational system, and she cited among these the commitment to guarantee primary education starting at three years of age and the establishment of a competitive process to enter the teaching profession. Finally, Cabrera noted that the Pact called for a debate regarding secular education in the country. However, she said that the issues of assuring the integrity of teaching as a profession and policy concerning teachers’ salaries were not as strongly articulated as other themes in the Pact.