Despite a poor showing of students at public schools, the Ministry of Education estimated at 36% the return to classes on 11 January 2022 in public schools nationwide. The Ministry says that traditionally first day attendance is at 28 to 38%.
The Public School Teachers Association (ADP) president, Eduardo Hidalgo has called for teachers to not attend due to the spread of the Omicron variant nationwide. Hidalgo recommends that teachers wait for the end of the month to see if the conditions are again appropriate for in-person learning.
The Ministry of Education says that all educational centers had received the biosecurity kits for the prevention of Covid-19.
“Guaranteeing the sacred right of students to their education is a responsibility that the Ministry of Education cannot decline, because it is a right whose materialization must always be above any interest,” reads the press release.
Education Minister Roberto Furcal has been a strong advocate of remote learning and the ministry under his direction has invested billions in preparing remote learning programs. Nevertheless, a recent World Vision poll indicates that 83% of Dominican households do not have adequate Internet service or adult supervision for remote learning.
The Abinader administration had urged that children in public and private schools return to in-person classes as of Tuesday, 11 January 2022.
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12 January 2022