Today, Monday 26 August 2024, is the official start of school in all public schools in the Dominican Republic. The purveyors of the school lunches and snacks have changed the menus to a healthier set of meals with less added sugar and more fruits. The Ministry of Education has over 11 million books and texts ready for the kids, and government school buses are transporting children safety around the country.
Approximately 2.64 million students from public, private, and semi-official institutions across all educational levels are registered with the Ministry of Education. The Ministry of Education reported that among the returning students, 2,063,758 are from public institutions and 576,576 from private schools.
President Luis Abinader and Education Minister Ángel Hernández will lead the formal opening ceremony at the Prof. Yluminada Mejía Pérez Basic School in Arroyo Hondo, Santo Domingo, according to the Ministry of Education. Meanwhile, Vice President Raquel Peña will inaugurate the school year at the Hermanos Díaz Moreno Educational Center in Gurabo, Santiago province.
The school year has an impact on everyone’s lives, every day. There are millions of children out in the streets and avenues, large and small, going to and coming from the schools. Drivers in the chaotic traffic of today need to be on their toes.
According to Ancell Scheker, the Deputy Minister for Technical and Pedagogical Affairs for the Ministry of Education, books are available for every level, from pre-school through high school and have already been distributed in kits with school supplies throughout the country.
As often happens in densely populated urban areas, there are schools that cannot handle all of the students that are eligible in a particular area. According to the Ministry of Education (Minerd), this problem has been solved through arrangements with over 100 private schools who will take the estimated 5,000 students that could not find enrollment in the public sector schools. Of the students that were not placed in public schools, 481 are in the pre-school level, 2,523 in elementary and 1,796 in high school level.
The Ministry of Education announced a US$500 bonus for parents who have not been registered the students in public schools so these can study in private schools. The vouchers apply to tuition and extra costs of the private schools.
Listin Diario writes that the Dominican Republic still has little to show for the dedicating of 4% of the GDP to education since 2013. During the governments of Danilo Medina (2012-2016 and 2016-2020) the focus was on building schools. During the first half of the Abinader government, coinciding with the pandemic, the focus was on virtual education programs under Minister Roberto Furcal. In 2022, he was replaced by incumbent Minister Angel Hernandez who developed a program to publish books that are being distributed this school year as large numbers of the tablets purchased in 2020 are now defective.
Meanwhile, the Abinader administration has been active inaugurating schools around the country in time for the new school year. Vice President Raquel Peña during a recent inaugural in Navarette, Santiago was asked for the country’s priority and she said “education, education, education,” as reported in Hoy.
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26 August 2024