The Ministry of Education says that 814,000 students, up from 200,000 at the start of the Medina administration, in 6,207 classrooms at 422 state schools will be attending the new extended school days this new academic year, which starts on Monday, 18 August 2014. This means that 40% of Dominican students in the public school system (1,997,218 in total) will receive at least five daily hours of schooling, in addition to extra-curricular activities including sports and the arts. The Medina administration is working so that 80% of all public school students can be enrolled in extended day schools before the end of its term in August 2016. Until now state schools have been divided in morning, afternoon and even evening shifts, and students received on average two hours of instruction. The government is adding 10,000 classrooms so the students can receive more hours of study and benefit from sports and arts activities.
Of the 2.7 million students in the Dominican educational system 1,997,000 are in the public sector, 664,382 go to private schools and 63,697 are in the semi-official sector distributed over 11,000 public and private schools.
Minister of Education Carlos Amarante Baret said the government has repaired 2,100 classrooms in 282 schools, an investment of RD$1.6 billion.
He said that math teaching would be reinforced, as would IT training and a focus on chemistry, natural sciences, biology as well as other subjects where students have displayed weaknesses. He said the students would have time for playing sports and enjoying arts and culture, including dance and theater instruction. “Many actors, and dance, music and art teachers who are idle can find their space in the extended school day,” he said, as reported in El Nuevo Diario.
He said that workshops and courses have been organized to strengthen teacher training and criticized the universities for not fulfilling their role in preparing the teachers for today’s world.
He said some 454,322 school uniforms were available for public school children, in addition to half a million backpacks. The minister said that no changes would be made to the curriculum as yet, but that the government wants to reinstate the subject of Morals and Civics that teaches students to be responsible citizens. The students will also receive around six million textbooks.
And 1,532,478 students will benefit from the school breakfast programs, while 814,474 will receive lunch and snacks in addition as part of the extended school day program.
http://www.elnuevodiario.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=387006
Tanda Extendida acogerá a 814 mil estudiantes en 422 centros educativos