Santo Domingo, DN – Business Action for Education (EDUCA) appreciated the progress cited by the president Luis Abinader in his accountability speech before the National Assembly; However, he warned that without substantial improvements in the quality of learning the country will not guarantee the economic growth projected towards 2036.
The organization highlighted the need to deepen the efficiency of educational spending, progressively directing greater resources towards components directly linked to quality, such as evidence-based teacher training, relevant pedagogical equipment, technology with methodological support that facilitates teaching planning, as well as objective evaluation systems and effective supervision of compliance with school hours.
In this context, the president of EDUCA, Susana Martínez Nadal, considered that sustained investment in the educational budget constitutes a relevant fiscal effort, so the debate should focus on the real impact on learning and national productivity.
<< El país ha hecho un esfuerzo financiero extraordinario en educación. Ahora el desafío es asegurar que cada peso invertido genere aprendizaje efectivo, competencias pertinentes y capital humano competitivo. Sin calidad educativa no habrá crecimiento económico sostenible>>, he stated.
The business leader stressed that rigorous compliance with the school calendar and schedule constitutes a structural condition to improve academic results.
<< No es posible aspirar a mejores aprendizajes si no garantizamos el tiempo efectivo en el aula. El cumplimiento del calendario y del horario escolar es una variable esencial del sistema, no un aspecto secundario >>, he expressed.
In his opinion, each prolonged interruption of the school calendar directly impacts student performance and deepens gaps, especially affecting the most vulnerable sectors.
In relation to the educational reform process, Martínez Nadal maintained that it must be developed through broad consultation and true national consensus.
<< Una reforma estructural requiere diálogo, participación y construcción colectiva. La educación es un proyecto de país y su transformación debe surgir de consensos, no de decisiones aisladas>>, he pointed out.
Likewise, although he recognized the growth of the technical-professional modality, he emphasized that the challenge of ensuring that the training offer effectively responds to the demand of the productive sector persists.
<< El aumento de programas técnico-profesionales es positivo, pero necesitamos garantizar coherencia entre la oferta educativa y las competencias que el sector empresarial requiere para crecer y generar empleo de calidad >>, he indicated.
He added that an effective articulation between education and the labor market not only strengthens competitiveness, but also contributes to facing one of the main challenges of the system, which is school dropouts in the 15 to 17 age group, where evidence shows higher dropout rates.
<< Además de discutir cuánto se invierte, el país debe concentrarse en cómo se invierte, cuánto aprendizaje produce y qué retorno económico y social genera>>, he added.
Finally, he recalled that the national goal of doubling the economy by 2036 will directly depend on the quality of the human capital that is formed in the classrooms today.
<< La educación no es solo cobertura ni infraestructura. Es tiempo efectivo de aprendizaje, es desempeño docente, es pertinencia productiva y es gestión eficiente. Sin estos elementos, la inversión pierde potencia transformadora >>, he concluded.
