Education Ministry’s School for Directors Celebrates its Fourth Class of 189 Graduates

Education Ministry’s School for Directors Celebrates its Fourth Class of 189 Graduates
Santo Domingo Dominican Republic 7/14/2013

The School of Directors for Quality Education (EDCE in Spanish) under the Ministry of Education (MINERD) recently graduated 189 public school principals from the 18 Regional School Districts, which brings the total number of graduates to 671 since the program started a year and a half ago.

This is the fourth group trained by the EDCEfor a period of seven months of quality management, a program aimed at reinforcing administrative capabilities of participants by learning techniques for evaluation and managerial planning as well as a complete module that deals with values, management of resources and funds as well as leadership.

This is the fourth group trained by the EDCEfor a period of seven months of quality management, a program aimed at reinforcing administrative capabilities of participants by learning techniques for evaluation and managerial planning as well as a complete module that deals with values, management of resources and funds as well as leadership.

Deputy Minister of Supervision, Evaluation and Educational Quality Control, Jorge AdarbertoMartínez who is also the director of the EDCE, led the event. RepresentingEducation MinisterJosefina Pimentelwas Julio Leonardo Valeirón, Executive Director of the Dominican Institute for Evaluation and Research of Quality Education (IDEICE).

In his keynote speech, Dr. Martínez underscored the effort on the part of Minister Pimentel for creating, maintaining and developing the EDCE. The graduation event was held at the María de La Altagracia Archdiocese on Las Americas Highway.

Martínez said the school principals discussed issues about their work and reorienting their labor to better fulfill their own potential as well as their students and teachers in order to improve academic results.

He said that despite the challenges faced by Dominican schools, the changes they’ve recently undergone are extremely notable. “All of you deserve the honor of having been part of rescuing the Quality Management Model of the nation’s schools, for which you deserve a place in the history of Dominican education.”

For the founders of the EDCE, the development of high quality, continued education program is a priority with the goal of turning school principals into educational managers. InMartínez’s opinion, this ishappening with each person who has been trained here.

Doctor Valeirón also spoke at the event. He stressed the level of responsibility of school principals who, he said, should become quality managers.

Senator from Samaná, Prim PujalsNolasco, also spoke at the event.Pedro Rafael Paulino Rojas, sub-director of Eladio Peña de la Rosa Las School of La Vega District 06-06, thanked that Ministry of Education for the program.

At the first EDCE’s graduation class, the Ministry of Education (MINERD) handed out 86 certificates; 186 in the second; 210 in the third and 189 on this opportunity adding up to a total of 671.

During the event, AdarbertoMartínez and Julio Leonardo Valeirónreceived plaques in the name of the graduating group.

Group of graduating school principals

Doctor Jorge AdarbertoMartínez, Deputy Minister of Supervision, Evaluation and Control and Director of EDCE, speaking at the event. At the table, from left to right: Francisco Estrella, Director of Supervision and Auditing of Processes; Julio Valeirón, Director del IDEICE; Senator Prim Pujals and Esperanza Ayala, Director of Educational Supervision