The Ministry of Education says that some 1,100 new schools built by the Medina administration will be teaching full school days as of August 2014. Minister of Education Carlos Amarante says that the government needs to hire 8,500 additional teachers and has budgeted RD$3.5 billion for this purpose. With the new schools, the public school system will have 1,700 schools teaching from 8am to 4pm, benefiting 800,000 students nationwide. He said that 579 of the traditional schools, which do not have cooking facilities, will be improved to serve meals so that students can stay on for afternoon school activities this year.
In an interview with Diario Libre, Minister of Education Amarante said that the Ministry has a RD$2.3 billion budget allocation for teacher training. He said the Ministry had implemented 38.75% (RD$109 billion) of its budget in the first half of the year. According to the minister, the presidential goal is that by 2016, when the present term of office comes to an end, 80% of the public schools will join the extended school model.
Amarante said that many private schools are asking the government to buy them out because they are having trouble competing with the government’s new school model.
Amarante also told Diario Libre that 75% of people who have learned to read and write through the governmental literacy program want to continue studying in adult education programs.
http://www.diariolibre.com/destacada/2014/07/21/i710071_presupuesta-rd3-500-millones-para-docencia-las-nuevas-escuelas-con-tanda-extendida.html