Santo Domingo, RD.- The Minister of Education, Ángel Hernández, led his first ordinary meeting as president of the National Council of Education (CNE); to which he presented his management program, aimed at achieving real and efficient learning from now on.
During the meeting, Minister Hernández expressed to the members of the CNE his commitment and willingness to attend; and meet the needs of the pre-university educational sector; as well as to strengthen the link between the MINERD and each one of the members of the Council, making communication channels more effective and unhindered.
“You, as members of this organization, are the ones who direct national education. The National Council of Education is the most important body of the MINERD, since it is the collegiate body that makes the major decisions of this Ministry; and, for this reason, you play an extraordinarily important role”, said Ángel Hernández.
During the meeting, Minister Ángel Hernández presented a detailed report on the work he has been carrying out since the beginning of his administration with the educational community; to know the general pedagogical guidelines with the purpose of achieving quality learning in the classrooms; as well as to guide on the process developed for the new school year, scheduled to start on September 1 for teachers and on September 19 for students.
In this regard, he said that the regional and district directors were instructed to proceed to the rental of premises, with the interest of meeting the demand for vacancies in public centers in certain areas of the country due to population growth.
Hernández indicated that the Ministry works together with the President of the Republic Luis Abinader to accelerate the completion of school plans, whose construction process for multiple reasons was paralyzed, and reported that there is a commission that works directly with the president and the Ministries of Housing and Public Works to find the best solution for these schools; that are already 80% complete, and incorporate them into the training process.
He stated that several commissions have been created, including one to review the Education Law 66-97, another to work on the evaluation of children’s learning, one for performance evaluation; which will include teaching positions, one that will be in charge of the Extended School Day and another to work on adult education and PREPARA.
Teacher training
Hernández also shared with the National Council of Education the importance of the continuous training of teachers; for which an increase of 100% was requested to the budget of the National Institute for Education and Training of Teachers (INAFOCAM), to concentrate those resources; specifically, in the training of teachers in the first grades of basic education.
“The idea is to continue working in collaboration, because this Ministry is made up of two parts: management and teachers, and we must try to have the best relationships. The concern of the Ministry is the constant dialogue, including commitments. We are going to do everything necessary so that teachers meet their expectations”, he assured.
He added that during his administration he has been working to open the doors of the MINERD to Civil Society and to all sectors involved in education; since they have a great amount of resources and experiences; with whom they can collaborate and strengthen the work carried out by this government body.
During the meeting of the Council, the Vice Minister of Technical and Pedagogical Affairs of the MINERD, Ligia Pérez; who reported that for several weeks they have been working on the training of technicians and management teams of educational centers; which also includes teachers from the private sector, so that they are prepared for the start of the school year.
The deputy minister also said that a commission was created to work on everything related to the start of the school year; from the opening acts that will take place at the national level, including the main act in which President Abinader and the Minister of Education participate.
During the session, Minister Hernández swore in Esteban Tiburcio, representative of Private Higher Education; and Nelson Rudys Castillo Ogando, legal consultant of the MINERD, as new members of the Council.
