Punta Cana, La Altagracia.– The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Rafael Evaristo Santos Badía, stated that the transformation of Dominican education must begin from early childhood and be maintained throughout life, when participating in the inauguration of the services office of the Universidad del Caribe (Unicaribe) in Punta Cana.
“Since 1992, there has not been an opportunity like this to transform the Dominican school,” said the official, while urging all sectors to join the educational reform process promoted by the Government.
Santos Badía stressed that the country needs to form human capital from the first years, guaranteeing that students develop strong reading, writing and comprehension skillsin order to ensure their success in higher education and professional practice.
- The minister highlighted that the goal of doubling the size of the economy by 2036 will only be possible with quality education and well-prepared human resources. “This human capital has to be well trained from the beginning,” he emphasized.
Likewise, he valued the investment made in the educational system after the implementation of the 4% of GDP for education, although he recognized that challenges persist that must be addressed from a clear conceptual vision of the purpose of educating.
During his speech, he highlighted the importance of strengthen the articulation between the educational system and the productive sectorsespecially in strategic poles such as Punta Canaone of the main Caribbean tourist destinations.
In this sense, he valued the opening of new academic spaces aimed at technical and professional training linked to hotel and service industry.
In that sense, the chancellor of Unicaribe, José Alejandro Aybar Martín, highlighted that the opening of this office in Punta Cana strengthens access to higher education in the Eastern regionespecially in a key province for tourism development like La Altagracia.
The new office will make it possible to offer academic services to more than a thousand students in the area, preventing them from having to travel to Saint Dominic, and reaffirms the university’s commitment to the democratization of access to higher education.
