This morning’s El Caribe newspaper focuses on the question of whether the Mejia Administration has really made education a priority. It points out that this year’s education budget is the same as last year’s, 16%, and equal to 2.5% of the Gross Domestic Product. International organizations have established 4% of GNP as the standard. More over, the Dominican Teachers Association is seeking a minimum monthly salary of RD$5,000, but Minister of Education Milagros Ortiz Bosch, stated that the budget does not allow for a salary increase for instructors this year. The newspaper El Siglo newspaper says that the public high schools are graduating students with low qualifications. Research indicates that students are graduating with scores of 42, while the national minimum standard for graduation is 60. Some 72% of public high school graduates attend the (public) Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, due to its low cost and admissions standards.
