Minister Ángel Hernández assures that the decision that the Ministry of Education make your own textbooks is not new and has consulted the General Directorate of Purchasing and Contracting (DGCP), for the process that has begun and in which the companies were called to participate. universities, academies and intellectuals.
Measure would save the Minerd about 5,000 million pesos a yearwhich could be used for other purposes, explains the minister in a written message sent to Diario Libre.
According to Hernández, with the Ten-Year Education Plan they were made textbooks without the publishers and they lasted in the system for almost 10 years and the law provides as an obligation to provide free textbooks to students in the public education system.
The DGCP has certified that scientific works can be contracted directly by the specialty of knowledge in question.
Hernández explained that the Academies of History, Language and Sciences Y to universities where, due to the nature of their work, the most well-known intellectuals in the country are and where any other independent author can participate in the process, if they have the necessary training and experience.
““The copyright will be paid and preserved and the Minerd assumes the non-commercial exploitation of the work””Minister of Education
Another aspect highlighted by the Minister of Educationis that this decision will also strengthen, with books already tested, literacy in a timely manner in the first grades and will be made textbooks and workbooks.
According to the established
The minister continues explaining: “The Curriculum Department will be directly involved in the process of preparing and supervising editorial production. It is expected to produce two series so that teachers can choose the book they consider best. Hernández explained that there will be a print version and a digital version that children can use whenever they want and from wherever they are.
Minerd’s goal is to have the books by the year 2023-}24. And if it is not possible, the following year, as it is a process that is ongoing.
there will be bidding
Minister Hernández said that printing will be done through a public tender where all companies with proven capacity will be able to participate.
Although the Organization of Ibero-American States for the EducationScience and Culture (OEI) evaluated the textbooks for the initial and basic and secondary levels, the minister affirms that the organism does not have the power to approve them in the Dominican educational system, but that it is a competence of the Curriculum Directorate.
confirmed the participation of the UASD, UNPHU, PUCMM, Fe y Alegríaamong others, and ensured that anyone who wants to participate in the process of preparing the textbooks will be evaluated. “We hope that everyone with proven skills can offer their knowledge so that the country has good free texts for children and adolescents. No academic institution or person is discriminated against. Everyone who wants and can contribute will be welcome”, concluded Minister Hernández.
reactions
Few institutions have commented on the decision of the National Council of Education who sends to minerd to prepare the texts.
The Association of Book Publishers and Distributors of the Dominican Republic (Asedilird) will not issue, for the moment, any opinion on the subject.
Nor has the other association that brings together the editors of textbooksnor the Dominican Association of Teachers, (ADP), although Free Daily has made efforts to get your opinion.
healthy measure
The former minister of Education, Ligia Amada Melois happy and supports the measure and said that in the administration that he led, from 1996 to the year 2000, he implemented this measure and assures that it gave him positive results.
“I hired specialist professors in various areas of knowledge, preferably university ones, to write the books. They were paid royalties and then the results were put up for bid with the publishers. This allowed the books to come out at a very reasonable cost, which allowed us to give each child seven books, one for each area, including the secondary level, ”he explained.
Melo hopes that he minerd publish and widely disseminated so that a good number of professionals in different areas can participate.
“It is a measure that I assure in advance that it will give many results, not only because of the cost, but also because of the number of children and young people who are going to benefit,” he added.
The educator stated that before, eight publishers participated in this process and delivered their books and the minerd he could turn them in before the start of the school year.
