The president of the Association of Parents, Mothers and Tutors of the School (Apmae), Jaime Tolentino, called on all sectors of the educational community to return en masse to schools this Monday to celebrate the holiday of democracy, by exercising the right to education.
During a press conference, Tolentino asked teachers and students to heed the call made by the Ministry of Education to formally open the return to classes this Monday, August 26.
At the same time, he spoke about the difficulties presented during the preparation of this new school year, referring to the lack of places that affects a large part of the country, the criticisms made by the Dominican Parents Association (ADP), among other issues that marked the beginning of this educational period.
“For the teachers’ union, nothing will ever be good. For them, there is never a center that is ready to start the school year, although we know that there are centers that are not ready for the start. But with God’s help we will start, and we ask families not to hesitate in sending their children to educational centers,” said the president of the union that groups Dominican parents.
She also criticized the fact that the Dominican Parents’ Association (ADP) is trying to torpedo the start of the school year by exaggerating the figures of the lack of places. She also criticized the national strikes that the teachers’ union is carrying out in search of salary increases.
“We have filed some legal proceedings with the ADP in some areas; we cannot tolerate them stopping the country because they feel like it; why are you going to paralyze the country for me, because you want a salary increase, or a pension increase, why are you going to paralyze the country for me, because you want people who are 43 years old to have a passion,” were the words of Jaime Tolentino when referring to the teachers’ strikes.
“Where there is a shortage of classrooms, two-shift classes should be used”
Referring to the shortage of school spaces affecting several areas of the Dominican Republic, the president of the Parents’ Association proposed that where there is a shortage of classrooms, two-shift classes be used, in order to end this scourge affecting the country.
All the centers that previously worked in double shifts now have extended shifts and that is why there are shortages of classrooms. If there are two shifts, there will be no shortage of classrooms, because where there is room for 800 in the morning and 800 in the afternoon, there will be 1,600 students with one space; this is what we proposed in Verón Punta Cana and this problem is over,” said the president of the parents’ union.
It is recalled that the Teachers Association stated that the lack of places in the Dominican Republic amounts to some 32,000 students who will be left out of school, due to the deficit of 7,000 classrooms that the Ministry of Education has been dragging for several years.
However, in the face of this problem affecting education in the Dominican Republic, the Ministry of Education acknowledged the deficit of the lack of places, which affects only about 4,300 future students, which is why it will benefit these people with a bonus of 500 dollars so they can study in private schools.
Education Minister Angel Hernandez explained that the main problem of the lack of places in schools is the fact that every year families move from one place to another and in doing so they put pressure on their new area. He added that, “The Ministry has the capacity to pay for this to ensure that not a single child is left out of school.”
Schools finalize details for return
After a tour of some schools in Greater Santo Domingo, it was possible to see how the educational centers are finalizing the last details to receive the more than two million students who are returning to classes throughout the country, starting this Monday, the 26th of this month.
Schools such as the General Antonio Duverge Educational Center, in the Honduras sector; the Fidel Ferrer Elementary School in Ensanche la Fe; the Puerto Isabela Elementary School in Cristo Rey; Padre Eulalio A. Arias; the Republic of Costa Rica in Los Ríos, among others that are ready to receive their students..
“At our educational center we are already giving it some finishing touches and some details to put things in place to start this Monday,” said the director of the Antonio Duverge General Educational Center, Ana María Corporán..
