Health & Education

Take Notes

Education

038_3933_02_b.jpg

Take Notes

With adult literacy at over 90%, the potential for the Dominican education sector is encouraging. As predictions for demographic change become reality, the nation’s population will emerge as one of […]

With adult literacy at over 90%, the potential for the Dominican education sector is encouraging. As predictions for demographic change become reality, the nation’s population will emerge as one of the youngest in the region, a fact that has prompted authorities to foster a healthy respect toward learning and to promote skills in key areas such as ICT. Euromonitor studies anticipate a median age of 31.2 years by 2030, and the overall population will grow to 12.1 million, marking an increase of 18.4% on 2012.

YOUTH KNOW HOW

World Bank reports suggest that already 97% of the Dominican population aged between 15 and 24 is literate. This group represents 18.5% of the population as of 2013. For students in this age bracket, opportunities to continue studies abroad are available. In contrast to neighboring states, pupils can opt to complete school under the US SAT program or International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum.

HOPE FOR CHANGE

These issues are being addressed within the framework of the 2008 10-year plan promulgated by the Secretary of State for Education. This program has as its stated goals the guaranteed provision of one year of initial education and eight years of basic education for all children in the country from five years of age. A reduction in the percentage of repetition of grades from 6.2% in 2008 to 5.1% in 2018, and of school dropout from almost 6% in 2008 to approximately 1.5% in 2008.

Specifically, admirable policies aimed at students with a higher risk of dropping out, or not receiving support at home, have been laid out for the short and medium terms. Free schoolbags, books, and the payment of fees, as well as initiatives such as free breakfast for poorer students, have helped increase the number of school attendees further than ever before, particularly in rural areas. Through the mobilization of public and private support, the government intends to provide all that is necessary for youths to move into the labor market or attend university when school is completed.

MOVING ON

In terms of tertiary education, the Dominican Republic has a long and storied tradition. The oldest university in the Americas is the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD), an institution, which continues to lead public higher education in the country as the only provider. Created following the Papal Bull In Apostolatus Culmine in 1538, the UASD is the oldest university in the entire Western hemisphere, fitting for the New World’s first colonial settlement. Its operations were interrupted at various points, particularly in the 19th century during the upheavals and shifts in power throughout the Caribbean, but the institution was re-established with the dawn of Dominican independence. The university today has branches across the country offering public higher education to the nation’s citizens in areas as diverse as Puerto Plata, Barahona, San Cristobal, La Vega, among many others. UASD is one of four Dominican tertiary institutions listed in the QS Latin America 2014 Top University ranking.

A range of established private institutions comprise the remainder of Dominican tertiary possibilities. The Pontifica Universidad Católica Madre y Maestra, APEC University, and the Iberoamerica University (UNIBE) are some of the leading institutions, which offer high-quality tertiary education to national and international students. Though a significant number of students decide to pursue opportunities abroad (Euromonitor predicts an average of almost 28,000 more citizens leaving the country than arriving between 2012 and 2030), foreign students are becoming more common in major universities. In conversation with TBY, Miguel R. Fiallo Calderón, Rector of Universidad Nacional Pedro Henrí­quez Ureña (UNPHU), stated that there are currently over 70 foreign students in attendance at the institution, a number he expects to rise. Though these private universities are more expensive than their public counterparts, they do offer a wider range of courses, from humanities and arts to sciences.

Many of these institutions target the specific skills needed to develop the country’s potential and encourage FDI, such as information technology. The Technological Institute of the Americas (ITLA) offers advanced degrees in fields like software engineering, computer science, and entrepreneurship, and plays an important role in the nurturing of ICT professionals in the Dominican Republic. In addition, the Technological Institute of Santo Domingo (INTEC), and the National Technical Vocational Training Institute (INFOTEP) offer the acquisition of effective skill sets to anyone over 16 whose profession requires specific knowledge, or to others who wish to develop new abilities.

As the country grows and attempts to balance its current account deficit, funding for education will require allocation to make the most of it. Indeed, the government’s designation of certain sectors for targeted growth is encouraging the development of specific skills, and with a long history of university education, it’s 2018 goal of nurturing a qualified and capable workforce is within reach.

You may also be interested in...

Beautiful,Tropical,White,Sandy,Beach,In,Cap,Cana,,Dominican,Republic

Tourism

Island In the Sun

Tourism in the Dominican Republic

View More
d073325a-01d3-4519-a09f-afa5d135cbd8

Finance

Money for Something

Economic growth in the Dominican Republic

View More
Columbus,Statue,And,Cathedral,,Parque,Colon,,Santo,Domingo,,Caribbean

Green Economy

Setting the Bar High

Economic growth.

View More
Oil,Platform,Silhouette,In,Gulf,Of,Mexico

Energy & Mining

Inherit the Wind

Potential hydrocarbons reserves

View More
Close,Up,Doctor,Holding,Syringe,And,Using,Cotton,Before,Make

Health & Education

Knife’s Edge

Medical tourism

View More
In Reach

Health & Education

In Reach

View More
If You Build It…

Real Estate & Construction

If You Build It…

View More
View All Articles