The president of the Association of Private Educational Institutions (AINEP) reported that 200 private schools in Greater Santo Domingo started the process of a gradual and voluntary return to the classroom. All private schools in the Dominican Republic had been officially closed since March 2020. The Ministry of Education authorized the reopening of private schools after Vice President Raquel Peña went public in April saying she has always favored the reopening of the schools. Peña heads the Abinader administration’s Health Cabinet. The position of the Ministry of Education had always been against in-person learning and in favor of continuing the new distance learning programs.
Following the remark by the Vice President, the Ministry of Education authorized private schools to reopen in Greater Santo Domingo, while keeping the ban on public schools in the area.
Jorge Luis Pelaez of AINEP said that 589 of their affiliated private schools have yet to reopen, as they are waiting for the Ministry of Education to verify their facilities and approve the opening of semi in-person classes.
Regarding the receptivity of parents to the return to traditional teaching, Pelaez said 85% had been in agreement with sending their children to the classrooms, according to the AINEP survey. Nevertheless, a recent resurgence of the spread of Covid-19 in Greater Santo Domingo is expected to have an effect on the opinion of parents to a return to the classrooms.
Pelaez, nevertheless, maintains that classrooms are safe. “The resurgence is a product of socialization in the cities. Note that the outbreak occurred before the restart of classes. The scientific evidence indicates that the return to classes does not have a negative impact on the behavior of the pandemic,” he said.
The 2020-2021 school year is officially scheduled to end on 29 July 2021.
26 May 2021