Education Ministry Concludes 2012-2013 School Year with Art-Culture-Sports Event

Education Ministry Concludes 2012-2013 School Year with Art-Culture-Sports Event
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 06/13/2013

The Ministry of Education (MINERD in Spanish) officially brought the 2012-2013 school year to a close by celebrating the FirstARDE Day (Art, Recreation and School Sports in Extended Day Centers) in the Mauricio Báez de Villa Juana complex.

Minister Pimental praised the Dominican school system and this new educational working model,which has 97 extended-day centers located throughout the country. There are plans to incorporate another 300 in the 2013-2014 school year.

Minister of Education Josefina Pimentel inaugurated the activity, which was attended by officials and community leaders. Approximately 1,200 studentsparticipated from extended-day schools located in 11 of the 18 Educational Regions. The students showcased their skills and abilities in the subjects of Art Education, Physical Education, and curricular workshops.

Minister Pimental praised the Dominican school system and this new educational working model,which has 97 extended-day centers located throughout the country. There are plans to incorporate another 300 in the 2013-2014 school year.

She affirmed that ARDE is an example of how extending school hours enables increased and expanded learning options for children and adolescents, ensuring marked improvement in students’ academic and intellectual skills. It also opens opportunities for the discovery and development of artistic and athletic talent.

“The extended day, which is the cornerstone of 2013ARDE, shows the country some of the achievements possible in the comprehensive education of the Dominican student body,” said the Minister, who added, “It is important to recognize that the initiative enjoysthe solid and enthusiastic commitment of President DaniloMedino and his entire administration.”

She stressed that the event is the culmination of a work plan based on effort, performance, and execution of major actions to achieve maximum quality of all processes involved, including training and monitoring of teachers.

With the impact of this program, the national community can enjoy and appreciate the students’ skills in art education, physical education and curricular workshops. The students receive eight hours of class each day, distributed according to the current curricular schedule, which includes eight mandatory subjects. The 97 schools that have adopted the basic extended-day education model have the ideal infrastructure and personnel for ensuring a better academic education and safe, stimulating and comfortable environment.

Activities performed in the first ARDE event included basketball, volleyball, chess, ping-pong, judo, soccer, physical education, baseball, and gymnastics. During the day’s activity, the participating female and male teams showed the fundamental physical and motor skills in these branches, ensuring better health and improved human development.

The ARDE event lasted until 5 pm Thursday. Participants included artistic groups and sports teams from the first 21 schools in the Extended Day Program (PJE in Spanish).

The event also included activities invisual arts, skits, musicals, modern and folkloric dances, theater, pantomime, spoken poetry, music bands, recorders, puppet shows, and other theatrical and musical performances. Therealso were exhibits of paintings, drawings, sculptures, crafts, design and handiwork, all works made during the school year. The activities were open to the general public

Attendees at the inauguration included Minister of Sports José Antonio Rodríguez; Leo Corporán, President of the Mauricio BáezFoundation;Danilo Mesa, executive director of the National Institute of Physical Education (INEFI);Fernando Ogando, director of the Office of International Cooperation (OCI);SaturninoMartínez, president of theMauricio Báez Club; Luis Ramón Ortiz, director of theÁngelFermínNoboa Educational Center; andSorRocío Pérez, director of the Santa María del Batey School. Also attending were parents, teachers and school administrators.

Education Minister, Josefina Pimentel, speaking at the opening of the Art, Recreation and School Sports in Extended Day Centers (ARDE). 


Students at the George ArzenoBrugal School in Puerto Plata, giving an acrobatics exhibition in the gym.