Ministry of Education Improves Educational Quality with Support from International Organizations

Ministry of Education Improves Educational Quality with Support from International Organizations
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic  4/17/2012

The Ministry of Education (MINERD in Spanish) recently launched two projects with the financial support of international organizations, which donated $153 million dollars toward strengthening the quality of early and elementary education in the most vulnerable areas around the country.

One of these projects, which recently concluded, is Strengthening Early Education and is receiving a sum of $62 million dollars to improve the quality of this academic level and to expand the scholastic services to five-year-olds.

One of these projects, which recently concluded, is Strengthening Early Education and is receiving a sum of $62 million dollars to improve the quality of this academic level and to expand the scholastic services to five-year-olds.

Director of the Office of International Cooperation (OCI in Spanish), Dr. Fernando Ogando, explained that this total, $42 million, was contributed by the World Bank as a loan which the government matched with $20 million.

The Multi-Phase Basic Education Program was developed with an investment of $91 million dollars , $80 million in loans from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and $11 million in matching funds from the Dominican government.

“With these projects, the MINERD is supporting the development of early education and is seeking to provide equitable access to basic education,” said Fernando Ogando of the OCI.

These projects are part of others being undertaken by MINERD, with a budget of $401.2 million dollars.

Projects underway

With the objective of strengthening and expanding the Second Chance, or Basic Education for Adults (EBA in Spanish) and PREPARA, a media education program and a Youth Development Program, there is a current budget of $5 million dollars from the World Bank and a matching contribution from the government of $2.5 million bringing the total to $7.5 million.

The Support Program for the Ten-Year Education Plan 1000 x 1000 for Effective Schools seeks to improve the quality and effectiveness of elementary and middle schools around the country. This project is made possible with a budget of $74 million dollars, $50 million in the form of IDB loans and $24 million matched by the government.

The World Bank Social Sectors Development Policy Gap Loans (DPL 2) for $150 dollars is earmarked for preserving the health and education of the country’s most vulnerable students.

The National Program for Technical Professional Formation is undertaking the Project for the Construction and Equipping of Vocational Polytechnic Schools in the provinces of Bahoruco, Samaná, Monte Plata, San Cristobal and Duarte with € 889,861 Euros, equivalent to $15.350 million dollars, from Dominican government bonds.

Improving early and elementary education in the poor areas of the country is one of MINERD’s main goals, for which it is receiving financial support from various international organizations.