Acción Empresarial para la Educacion (Educa) is concerned that the US$18.5 billion the Medina administration has spent on public education over the past seven years has not produced the desired results. The non-governmental organization backed the national effort to get the government to increase its investment in public education to 4% of GDP. The government would pour billions into building new schools that would extend school hours from 8 to 12 to 8 to 4pm. Significant wage raises have lured thousands of private school teachers to the public school system.
But still, the standardized tests carried out by the Ministry of Education reveal that only 12% of the children in third grade have minimal comprehension levels, and only 4.1% by sixth grade have satisfactory math skills.
Samuel Conde, president of Educa spoke of the disappointment with the results of the mega-investment in public education. He remarks that most youths today are not studying or working, which means they are very vulnerable to become victims of vices and crime.
Conde was interviewed by El Dia newspaper. Participating in the interview were also Darwin Caraballo, executive director of the pro-education entity, Yandra Portela, board member and Juan Tomas Tavares Kelner, past president.
Educa is celebrating its 30th anniversary. The Educa officials propose a public-private alliance to enable exponential leaps to increase the quality of learning of the student population.
Darwin Caraballo said that already there are around 125 companies that are investing around US$1 million a month in public education initiatives.
Caraballo says that the problem is no longer one of the low wages for teachers. He said that public school teachers make 53% more than the average paid to university professors.
80% of public teachers failed the standardized tests to be hired for the 2019-2020 school year. The teachers that flunked are demanding a new test.
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29 August 2019