The Pact for Education Reform signed yesterday, Tuesday, 1 April, seeks to improve the quality of public education for all children from the age of three. The Pact calls for extending the school day to the afternoon and implementing major improvements in teacher-training programs. It also incorporates a sex education curriculum for all grades.
As of June of this year, entrance exams will be required to study education at the universities. Standardized tests will also be required for those who want to work as regional and district directors in the public education system.
The Dominican Teachers’ Association (ADP) will require that that their members arrive to school on-time, and that meetings and other union activities be incorporated into the official Education Calendar, approved by the National Education Board. In the past, teachers often took school days off for these activities.
The Pact brings back civic studies to the general curricula and requires that music, art, theater and dance be taught at schools
The Pact is the product of an extensive development and review process that included proposals from and consultations with 9,000 individuals. This Pact is the first of three that were ordered as part of the National Development Strategy Law passed in 2012. Pacts dealing with the fiscal and electricity sectors are still pending.
Upon making the announcement of the start of the implementation of the pact, President Danilo Medina said that many of the actions contained in the signed document are already being implemented. The President cited the establishment of pre-school education programs and the construction of day care centers nationwide. He also stated the goal of his administration is that 80% of public school students will be enrolled in full-day programs before the end of 2016.
http://www.listindiario.com/la-republica/2014/4/1/316647/Pacto-Educativo-plantea-la-educacion-obligatoria-desde-tres-anos-de-edad