The community educational of San José Insidein the municipality of Baitoa, province of Santiago, demanded this Monday the termination of a high school that is being built in that town, whose work has been paralyzed since May 2024.
The school representative San José Inside, Cristiano Balmonteled the first protest activity called by the Association of Fathers, Mothers and Friends of the School (Apmae), together with teachers, students and members of the community.
According to Balmontethe work was started in 2022, but for more than a year it has been detained after being handed over to a construction company whose managers “have disappeared.”
“This is the first step for the construction of this center to be completed. The children are living in inhumane conditions. That’s not how education is taught,” he said. Balmonte.
The work
The work, which contemplates the authorization of six classrooms for the operation of the high schoolwas promoted by Apmae with the aim of welcoming more than 200 students of the community.
According to the complainants, the Ministry of Education of the Dominican Republic (minerd) had selected the center for a corrective maintenance deep and, by district provision, the resources would be allocated to completing the pending classrooms. However, the execution did not take place.
The community members assure that the minerd assigned the jobs to the company Overseas Investmentsrepresented by Mayor Bernardo López and Leandro Fernández, under the technical direction of engineer Anthony Núñez and the initial builder Joanny Antonio Peña. However, since May 24, 2024, construction remains paralyzed.
“The most sad thing is that the materials purchased and placed in the courtyard of the educational center are deteriorating, while our students continue receiving classes in inadequate conditions,” said a member of the Apmae.
The community warned that, if he does not obtain answers in the short term, he will take his claim before Educational District 08-03, Regional 08 and even before the National Palaceif necessary.
Meanwhile, parents and teachers reiterate that the stoppage of high school compromises the right to a decent education for dozens of young people from Baitoa, who have been waiting for more than three years the conclusion of a work that they consider vital for their academic and social development.
