On occasion of the official start of school nationwide on 26 August 2024, President Luis Abinader inaugurated the 830-student Escuela Básica Profesora Iluminada Mejía in Arroyo Hondo, National District and called for support to the Plan Horizonte 2034, an open and collaborative initiative to unite all to find solutions to problems that affect the education sector.
In his address in the presence of First Lady Raquel Arbaje and the Minister of Education Angel Hernandez, the President stressed that unity is needed to find solutions to the limitations that affect the educational system. He said his government is set on working to rid the prevalence of politics in the education system, the inefficiencies and promote transparency.
In the same address, the President named teachers as the spinal cord for education and expressed his gratitude for their dedication and commitment. The Public School Teachers Union has been singled out as a key part of the problem for its support to teachers beyond their merits.
President Abinader has tasked the Economic and Social Council (CES) with convening a meeting to establish a consensus on improving the quality of education in the country.
Key areas for reform include teacher training and development, ensuring that educators are equipped with the necessary skills to meet the demands of a rapidly changing world. The President emphasized the need for ongoing investment in education, stating: “We must not squander our resources but direct them towards pedagogical areas that truly impact the education of our children. Not only must we invest more, but we must also invest better.”
Other areas of focus include reforming and expanding vocational education to align with national development needs and create better job opportunities for high school graduates. The President also called for more efficient mechanisms to involve parents and the community in the education system and to strengthen educational research.
Education Minister Angel Hernandez said that the Ministry has distributed 12 million new textbooks. He said during the summer, 123,000 teachers received instructions to update them on the new trends in the curriculum and recommendations for student assessments. Moreso, Hernandez says that 4,400 public schools are connected by broadband to the Internet and the teachers have been trained to assist the students. Over the summer vacations, public school teachers learned how to use artificial intelligence to expand the information in the textbooks.
Also attending the inaugural school day was Education Vice Minister Ancell Scheker; Superior Education Minister Franklin Garcia Fermin; the director of the Infotep vocational training institute, Rafael Santos Badia; Minister of Public Health Victor Atallah; capital city mayor Carolina Mejia; and the president of the Chamber of Deputies Alfredo Pacheco, among others.
The school year in the Dominican Republic is from 26 August 2024 through 20 June 2025. During the school year, students get off for around three weeks for the Christmas holidays and a week for Easter holidays.
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27 August 2024