Haitian elementary and secondary school students outnumbered Dominicans in 21 public student centers in the National District, Herrera and Los Alcarrizos, in the 2022-2023 school year, according to data from the Ministry of Education (Minerd). While in another 10 schools, foreigners from the neighboring country represented 50 percent of the school enrollment compared to locals.
The Haitian students totaled 2,351 and the Dominicans 1,252 in these more than 20 centers of Greater Santo Domingo, for a margin of more than 1,099 enrollments and in a range between 52% and 93.8 percent.
In eight schools in the three educational districts of this capital, there were more Haitian students than Dominicans, for a total of 1,022 students. That is, 650 more than the nationals, since the latter reported only 372.
The Arroyo Hondo educational center (Code 5617), which is located in educational district 15-04 and has 326 school places, has 207 Haitians and 118 Dominicans. Meanwhile, Francisco Ulises (5154), of its 257 enrollments, had 219 Haitians and 38 Dominicans.
Schools in the 15-03 educational district, such as the Nuestra Señora de La Altagracia campus (5050), have 153 Haitian students, which would be 93.8% of the total, which is 163 students. In this school, Dominicans are the minority, with 10 students, which is equivalent to 6.1%.
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Francisco Javier Billini (5013) reported 65 foreigners and 53 locals out of a total of 118. Likewise, Aníbal de Ponce (5628), which had the same number of students as Billini, registered 74 Haitians and 43 Dominicans. The República de Chile school (5263) had 77 Haitians and 39 Dominicans out of its 116 students.
Molaco (5200) and Emilio Rodríguez Demorizi (5890) schools, both in educational district 15-02, also had more foreign students than local students. The first reported 107 and 45 of its maximum number of 154. Meanwhile, the second had 120 (81.6%) and 26 (17.6%) of its 147 students.
Herrera
The large working-class sector of the municipality of Santo Domingo Oeste, Herrera, reflected 822 students from the neighboring country in nine student centers. A total that exceeds the 526 Dominican students by 296.
In this district, the Rosario Evangelina Solano, Luis Pasteur and Rafael Alberto Pérez and Santiago schools, which have the most students from Haiti, report the same number of students from that country, 125, but not from Dominicans. They have 118, 49 and 63 respectively.
The other centres with the largest number of foreign students are: Ercilia Pepín Estrella, Antigua and Barbuda, Club 16 de Agosto, Francisco Alberto Caamaño Deñó, Los Amiguitos and Las Palmas.
On the other hand, among the schools with at least 50% of their enrollment occupied by Haitians, are: Anacaona, Manresa, Manoguayabo, El Abanico and Las Mercedes.
The Alcarrizos
The statistics of the Minerd It indicates that in the municipality of Los Alcarrizos, two public schools also had more Haitian than Dominican students. Together, both schools had 165 Haitians and 108 Dominicans.
The Manuel de Jesús Galván center reported 66 Haitians and 63 Dominicans. At the same time, 99 and 45 were registered at the Laura Vicuña center, respectively.
Authorities
The Ministry of Education and the Dominican Teachers Association (ADP) reported that the lack of student places in some schools is not due to the fact that priority is given to foreign students.
They said the main problem is a shortage of classrooms that has not been addressed by the government.
