The Ministry of Education is facing a deficit of about 19,000 public school teachers for the current school year. In September 2021, just when in-person learning was getting its start nationwide, a contest was held to hire the teachers, but only a few hundred of the many thousands who took the test passed. There were cries of fraud and poor testing methodology, and so the government tossed the results.
One curious point of contention was that the Ministry of Education did not allow persons who had completed a government-sponsored program of Excellence in Teaching Program at several of the universities to participate in the teacher contest because they had yet to receive their diplomas at a graduation ceremony.
Because of the crunch, the Ministry has now backed away from its original position and now the online platform for registration is open to some 647 graduates of the Docentes con Excelencia program.
As reported, President Luis Abinader himself pointed to the incongruence of producing skilled teachers and then not letting them compete for positions in the nation’s public schools.
On 8 November, the selection process continues, and those who did not pass the tests the first time are allowed to re-tested starting on 12 November, according to a press release from the Ministry of Education.
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Diario Libre
8 November 2021