In recent years obtain quota in schools has become a Battle of the parents and a national themewhich really centralizes the main urban centers of the country. However, it is such a big problem that the government has made custom every year, promise the quota. Why the recurring crisis?
He public education system In urban areas of the Dominican Republic it has absorbed an important volume of students who were previously in the private system.
This trend has coincided with the Expansion of the extended school day (JEE), which by eliminating alternate batches of classroom use, such as morning or evening, has limited the physical capacity of campuses to house new groups. In addition, and perhaps the most important thing is the slow construction of new schools.
According to the official data of the Ministry of Educationthe Urban public registration It went from 1,279,848 students in the 2018–2019 school year to 1,395,357 in 2023–2024, a Absolute increase of 115,509 students.
In the same period, registration in urban private centers decreased, mainly affecting The initial and primary levels. This migration of students from the private sector to the public has coincided with a decrease in the number of private educational centers in urban areas.
Private collapse
The Total registration of the Urban private sector It was 505,530 students in the 2018–2019 school year. By 2023–2024, that figure had been reduced to 417,155 students, a loss of 88,375 students in five years.
In just one year the private system fell from 87,535 students in 2022–2023 to 82,977 in 2023–2024 in Initial level. The primary level was also reduced, from 168,162 to 158,391 students in the same period. And at the secondary level it was milder: from 130,782 to 129,787 students.
The public sector
In contrast, the Urban Public System It went from 1,279,848 students in 2018–2019 to 1,395,357 in 2023–2024.In 2019–2020, the Urban public registration It was 1,243,213; In 2020–2021 it rose to 1,217,666; In 2021–2022 it was placed at 1,221,694; and in 2022–2023 it reached 1,378,733 students.
The public sector infrastructure also grew. He number of campuses In urban areas, 2,142 in 2018–2019 to 2,706 in 2023–2024. Public centers increased from 3,080 to 3,745 in the same period, and the class sections went from 42,064 to 50,977.
He growth It was noticed at all educational levels. The registration of Initial level increased from 94,993 in 2018–2019 to 141,068 in 2023–2024. At the primary level, the registration rose from 487,717 to 534,644. In Secondary, from 518,164 to 552,823. And in Education of adults, from 178,974 to 166,822. Although in the latter there was a decrease between 2022–2023 and 2023–2024, the volume remains higher than that of previous years.
The mess of Gran Santo Domingo
In it Gran Santo Domingoboth the public and the private sector record a reduction in registration in absolute terms. The Urban public registration It went from 656,909 students in 2018-2019 to 630,152 in 2023-2024, a reduction of 26,757 students. This fall occurs despite growth sustained of the modality of Extended daywhich went from 242,667 students to 336,184.
In it National Districtthe registration of the public sector went from 148,792 students in 2018-2019 to 131,126 in 2023-2024.
In 2018-2019, the morning batch concentrated 67,216 students and the evening 26,295. In 2023-2024, La Extended day It absorbed 62,935 students, while the morning batch fell to 26,944 and the evening to 24,381. The sections in Extended day They went from 1,155 to 2,131, which represents a significant leap in the full -time use of school schools.
In parallel, the morning sections dropped from 1,401 to 949, and in the evening batch of 1,154 to 823. In that same period, public centers increased from 305 to 311, the schools from 182 to 192 and the total sections remained practically stable: 4,668 in 2018-2019 and 4,620 in 2023-2024. Virtually a stagnation.
In the Santo Domingo Provincepublic enrollment went from 508,117 to 499,026 students, a reduction of 9,091. However, the Extended day It went from 192,967 to 273,249 students, which means an increase of 80,282. Meanwhile, the sections in that batch went from 5,641 to 8,572. The evening sections fell from 3,308 to 2,701, and morning from 3,612 to 2,701. Public campuses increased from 645 to 755; the centers from 974 to 1,057; and the sections of 15,442 to 16,522.
The number of public centers in it Gran Santo Domingo It grew from 974 to 1,057. The sections increased from 15,442 to 16,522, while the schools went from 645 to 755. While in the private sector, the centers dropped from 1,493 to 1,096; sections from 15,018 to 12,355; and the campuses from 1,471 to 1,093.
This means that while the private sector reduced in 397 educational centers, the public sector added 83. Private sections fell by 2,663, while those in the public sector increased by 1,080. This implies one net load transfer Towards state schools, which have not always grown in the same proportion as the demand absorbed.
In the specific case of the National Districthe number of campuses public barely grew from 182 to 192 in five years, while the centers went from 305 to 311. That is, only six centers and ten campuses were added. In the Santo Domingo Provincealthough the growth It was greater, with 110 new schools and 83 additional centers, it is still limited compared to the number of students who have integrated into the public system and the expansion of the Extended day.
- In general, it can be argued that although the Extended batch It has grown, it has been at the expense of the quotas of students. This phenomenon is similar, in Santiago and La Altagracia province.
Santiago and La Altagracia
In the urban area of the Santiago province, the public enrollment went from 88,564 students in 2018-2019 to 97,479 in 2023-2024. The centers grew from 217 to 236, and the schools from 215 to 235. The sections went from 1,537 to 1,752. The Extended day increased from 45,736 students to 58,760, distributed in 125 centers and 824 sections.
While in the urban area of the La Altagracia province, the public registration rose from 30,841 to 36,935. The centers grew from 101 to 111; the schools, from 98 to 109; and the sections, from 603 to 707. The Extended day He served 14,230 students in 2018-2019 and 20,134 in 2023-2024, with 52 centers and 310 sections.
The extended day
In 2018–2019, the national urban registration in extended day was 686,324 students. For the 2023–2024 school year, that figure reached 929,664 students. That is, there was a growth absolute of 243,340 students In Jee in six years. Only in the last year (2022–2023 to 2023–2024), 41,110 new students were integrated into this modality.
The Jee expansion It has been accompanied by a significant reduction in morning and evening batches. The morning batch had 213,181 students in 2018–2019; In 2023–2024 it has 150,274. In the evening batch, the descent has been 177,285 to 138,917 students in the same period.
