The Ministry of Superior Education (Mecyst) removed those that oppose amending Norm 09-15 on excellence in public school teaching, Diario Libre reports. The echelons at the Ministry have been said to favor changes to the norm that requires the passing of international standardized tests. The changes are said to pave the way for lowering the bar in the hiring of public school teachers. Superior Education Minister Franklin García Fermín, a former rector of the state university UASD, is in favor of the amendments.
As reported in Diario Libre, the National Council of the Superior Education, Science and Technologies (Conescyt) approved creating a new committee to continue the discussions for amending Norm 09-15 that sets the standards for the Public School Excellence in Teaching Program. From 19 members, the board was reduced to seven members. Those who opposed the change were left out.
The members of the new committee are the deputy minister of Superior Education Evarista Matias; Ricardo Winter, rector of Psicología Industrial Dominicana; Jose Alejandro Aybar, rector of the Universidad del Caribe; Antonio Caparrós, executive vice president of the Fundación Inicia; Maria Waleska Alvarez, president of Educa; and Oscar Amargós, vice president of Quality Control at the Ministry of Superior Education.
Recently, former Minister of Education Ligia Amada Melo has criticized efforts within the Ministry of Superior Education under García Fermín to change the norm and reduce the requirements to study education in local universities. The opponents of the norm want to remove the international standardized test as a requirement, replacing this with a local test without a pre-set approval grade to accommodate the test to the results of those tested and the low level of graduates from the public high schools.
Advocates in favor of keeping Norm 09-15 say it is essential to the raising of the bar for public school teachers. Better teachers are said to be essential to the improving of quality in public school education.
Vice President Raquel Peña said the Abinader administration did not contemplate amendments to Norm 09-15.
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Diario Libre
15 November 2022