The candidate for the rectory of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD), Editrudis Beltrán, announced that the country must generate conditions to link students with science before they join university education, to improve the quality of education in general sense.
“I was a basic teacher, I lived the experience of seeing the educational process in its previous stage and I am convinced, like you, that what happens in initial, basic and secondary has an impact on the results at the higher level,” said Beltrán, during an emotional meeting held at the Lebanese-Syrian-Palestinian Club, located on the Malecón in this city, where he presented the candidates who support his aspiration to preside over the Primate of America
“The science approach, scientific knowledge, the stimulation of the critical spirit and the development of logical intelligence begin in stages prior to entering the University,” said the teacher.
He warned that, although the Dominican Republic has advanced in many fields, there are areas where better results are required.
“Our country invests very little in scientific research. According to the most recent report of the Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development, in relation to sectoral competitiveness, only 5% of Dominican students are enrolled in science, said who is emerging as the next rector of the state university and first of the Science Faculty.
In that sense, he added the following: “We need to awaken the passion for science and for that purpose it will be necessary for the educational system to incorporate new strategies to strengthen the bond of students, in the stages prior to higher education, with scientific work. ”
He expressed concern about the high level of learning poverty that is reflected in the proportion of 10-year-old boys and girls who are in the condition of not knowing how to read and understand what they read for their level.
In that order, he cited the last measurement carried out until 2018, where the country marks 62.3% of 10-year-old boys and girls who have not acquired reading comprehension, although he indicated that it is not an exclusive phenomenon of the Dominican Republic.
“These data describe the condition in which a part of the Dominican students find themselves at the basic and secondary levels, and of course predict what the profile that we would later receive in the classrooms at the higher level could be, unless as a society we reverse these indicators” explained the former Administrative Vice President.
He stated that it is necessary to introduce new strategies in the educational system in order to awaken from an early age the passion for scientific work that is so necessary in the development of modern societies and highlighted the importance of ordinary people feeling interest in science.
“Today we are in a new context and we need ordinary people to understand how science can improve their lives and UASD teachers have a share of responsibility in the face of this challenge,” he assured.
However, he criticized that over the years the harmony between the scientific production of the UASD and the needs of society has weakened despite the complexity of modern life that -now more than ever- demands science to face the problems of humanity and the country, in order to overcome the Covid 19 pandemic, the unplanned growth of cities and social mobility, ensure food sustainability, the conservation of species and the study of climate change, among other topics.
He stressed that the vast majority of uasdians agree that the UASD must be transformed in an integral way and that it has the field experience and multidisciplinary approaches to start this process.
He postulated that the productive processes are increasingly supported by digital systems, artificial intelligence programs, robotics and information technologies and that the UASD must be present at this historical moment”.
He indicated that this is the moment for the Faculty of Sciences to place a rector of the academy for the first time.
“Never before has the Faculty of Sciences been as cohesive as today, in my years at this University I have never before felt such a level of passion behind a purpose,” argued Beltrán.
During the event, the Triunfo candidates were presented, teachers Rosalía Sosa, candidate for Vice-Rector for Extension, Ramón Desangles, candidate for Administrative Vice-Rector, Wilson Mejía, who seeks to become Vice-Rector for Teaching, Radhames Silverio, candidate for Vice-Rector for Research and Postgraduate Studies, in addition to teachers José Ferreira and Franklin Suzaña, candidates for Dean and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Sciences, respectively, among other important figures in the project.
