An attempt has been made to create a stir with the fact that the Complementary Budget submitted by the Executive to Congress states that RD$4.25 billion would be diverted from the amount allocated this year to the Ministry of Education, which the Government would allocate to other areas.
It wouldn’t be the first time this has happened. Even from the 2020 budget, the amount that was taken would have been double the current amount and there was no noise, so it is understood that the current debate would be contaminated by political and other interests.
However, there are other readings that can be made and that lead to reflection because, from the outset, it is understood that the demand for 4% of GDP for pre-university education is something sacred, a conquest of the people with great mobilizations.
The other thing is that when there is “excess” money each year while material shortages are many, those who at the time argued that the problem was not only the amount of resources are right. What has happened now that there is so much money? That the leap in quality has not occurred; that not as much progress has been made as agreed in the Pact for Education.
It would be necessary to investigate what destination would be given to those more than RD$4 billion that would be available because the Ministry of Education is not going to use them, execute is the strict term, but an opposition legislator denounces that these resources would go to the strategy chapter , communication and press of the Presidency.
An explanation has been promised for Monday because officials from the technical area would meet with legislators to make clarifications, but it would seem contradictory that this millionaire goes to the expense of government advertising and propaganda when, according to the ADP (Dominican Association of Teachers) denounces about this debate, there would be more than 300,000 students who cannot find a place due to lack of classrooms.
Let this situation serve to rethink the enormous amount of resources assigned to the Ministry of Education, to which that 4% goes without noticing substantial improvement in the results of the teaching-learning process.
