Health & Education

Putting Education First

Education

Though the Dominican Republic still lags in certain key measures of education, sizable investment and a national commitment to better results have spurred important gains.

With one of the fastest-growing and largest economies in the region and a young population to boot, the Dominican Republic’s educational potential is huge. Government officials, private industry, and community leaders all recognize the value and importance of a strong education system in the Dominican Republic, and efforts are underway to ensure that the quality and distribution of education is improved.

According to the BTI index from BertelsmannStiftung, enrollment for primary education stands at 102.6% and secondary education stands at 75.9%, while tertiary enrollment is only 33.3%. The Medina government has made a commitment to education reform, and progress has already been made. The literacy rate in the country currently stands at nearly 90% for the entire population, but the statistics for younger generations of Dominicans is much better; 15-24 year olds currently enjoy literacy rates of almost 98%, which is one strong indicator of the success of certain educational initiatives.

While the Dominican Republic’s public expenditure on education has hovered between 2 and 2.5% of GDP in recent years, a good deal lower than the Latin American average of 3.5-4%, President Medina has taken concrete steps to change this. He has succeeded in raising spending levels to nearly 4% of GDP, and committing almost 20% of the federal budget to education, and while there has traditionally been a wide discrepancy between allocated funds and funds actually distributed, Medina’s government has been able to reduce this gap by an impressive margin, successfully spending nearly 89% of all allocated funds, according to the BTI report from BertelsmannStiftung. Expenditure has been mostly focused on new schools, teachers’ salaries, and a nation-wide alphabetization drive. These are vital steps towards ensuring that the Dominican Republic’s education system is capable of preparing its youngest generations for the future, and more reforms are expected in the future.

Efforts to improve the DR’s education system have produced results, and a number of key criteria assessed in the Global Competitive Index have gotten better. Between 2010 and 2016, the Dominican Republic improved its position in an array of areas: in quality of primary education the DR jumped 12 spots, going from 137th to 125th; in primary education enrollment it moved six spots, going from 120th to 114th; in tertiary education enrollment it moved 13 spots, going from 71st to 58th; and in quality of the education system it moved seven spots, going from 133rd to 126th. The government’s far-reaching initiatives and increased budget allocations have allowed for impressive progress in a relatively short period, and officials and education observers are hopeful that even more progress will be made in the near future. Not all of the news is good, however, and certain categories—secondary education enrollment rate, quality of math and science education, quality of management schools, internet access in schools, local availability of research and training services, and extent of staff training—slipped down the rankings or remained the same. Still, stakeholders are confident that the reforms implemented by the Medina regime will translate into real and persistent gains in each of these areas.
Early childhood care and education has also been an important area of consideration recently, and substantive steps are being taken to address this issue. The DR recently secured a USD200 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank that is intended to bolster, among other things, education for children between the ages of 0 and five. For children between 0 and two, programs aimed at stimulating cognitive and physical development will be the primary concern, while children from three to five will receive some form of structured early education, according to BNamericas. Financing help has not been limited to early childhood care, however, and a USD50 million loan from The World Bank, now in its second year of distribution, is aimed at supporting the government’s efforts to train and prepare teachers at the primary and secondary level, evaluate student learning, and decentralize public school organization.

Great strides have been made in Dominican tertiary education in the last few years, and while enrollment rates are still relatively low, the numbers and the quality of education is growing. With nearly 50,000 students in the Dominican higher education system, the sector is developing well. Additionally, economic growth and educational programs focused on workplace preparation have created a virtuous cycle whereby graduates stimulate ever greater economic activity, pulling more people into the workplace and creating more demand and opportunity for education. Partnerships between the private sector and educational institutions that focus on instilling necessary competencies and experience have reshaped the landscape in certain Dominican sectors. In an exclusive interview with TBY, Francisco D’Oleo, Academic Vice Rector at the Universidad APEC, explained the institution’s close ties to the Dominican economy. “One strategic partnership is with the tourism sector, an area where we have played a defining role since the first moment. When any tourism company thinks about setting up a new line or expanding, they think of UNAPEC and our rigorously skilled and trained students.”

By emphasizing synergies between tertiary education and the needs and demands of the workplace, Dominican universities are working to create an educational environment that stimulates the economy, raising the quality of life for citizens in every corner of the country. In conversation with TBY, Dr. Rolando Guzmán, Rector of INTEC, explained the importance of science and technical know-how in the modern Dominican economy, noting, “the private sector has a growing need for basic scientific education, and the graduate sector has modified a lot in the last few years.” More and more universities are tailoring their programs to fit the demands of industry. “What is needed is a purely skill-based curricula created in the Dominican Republic,” said Guzmán. “This would be a new way to teach, a new way to learn, and a new way to assess education never before implemented in the country.” Universities like INTEC and Universidad APEC are at the forefront of the DR’s education revolution, and they plan to continue ensuring the country’s university graduates have the tools necessary to bring the DR into the 21st century.

With support structures improving at every level, the Dominican Republic is poised to develop into a regional leader in every aspect of education. So long as support is maintained or improved, the Dominican Republic has an excellent chance of ensuring that its citizens are among the best educated in the entire Caribbean. Access and funding will determine the rate of progress the DR is able to achieve in coming years; as Dr. Guzmán noted, “Looking to the future, the key will be combining equity with higher quality in a sustainable way.”

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