Three schools operated by school boards opened in Monte Plata

Three schools operated by school boards opened in Monte Plata
Dominican Republic, Santo Domingo, 27/05/2011

The Ministry of Education (MINERD), through the Office of International Cooperation (OIC) opened three schools in Monte Plata, built, expanded and restructured through the School Boards, which are management agencies with community participation that have carried out projects totaling more than 200 million pesos and have benefited some 406 schools.

The school has an enrollment of 88 students and provides education from the first through the eighth grade. Two bathrooms, a septic tank, and a new classroom were built..

The project was handed in at a ceremony held at the Jose Altagracia Muñoz Primary School, formerly known as Zambranita, located in the Bejuco Colorado community in Peralvillo, which was headed by the Deputy Minister Emilia Pereyra, head of the Ministry’s Communications office, who cut the ribbon along with OIC executives and education authorities of the province’s Regional 17-00.

The school has an enrollment of 88 students and provides education from the first through the eighth grade. Two bathrooms, a septic tank, and a new classroom were built, and three other classrooms were remodeled with an aluzinc roof and concrete walls. An administrative area was added, the electricity was installed as well as a water tank, all with an investment of one million 45 thousand pesos.

The other two centers that were opened were La Cerca, also in Peralvillo, and Pantoíta, in the town of Yamasa. The first one had two classrooms refurbished with an aluminum roof, and a bathroom and a kitchen made of concrete were built, as well as access sidewalks around the school perimeter. Meanwhile the Pantoíta School had a multi-grade classroom built for 30 students.

The deputy Minister Emilia Pereyra and the OIC’s technical coordinator, Pablo Enrique Ulloa Castillo, took the floor to stress the importance of the work undertaken by the School Boards such as the ones that were being opened, which were built with limited resources and in a short time period (4 to 6 months), and are of good quality.

Pereyra said that without the support of each of the people in the community it would not have been possible for these schools to be in good condition and that “after all, the objective of MINERD’s work is to have better teaching quality in terms of infrastructure, but also with respect to teachers’ performance and the work of all those who support this effort.”

She also urged the students to further develop the artistic skills and talent they exhibited during the opening ceremony, exploiting all available resources, including reading materials, to continue maturing.

Meanwhile, Ulloa highlighted the shift that Escuela José Altagracia Muñoz has experienced, which, according to those present, before the addition and reconstruction was just a hut made of palm planks. He urged students to continue cultivating their values.

During this event the Education Director of the Monte Plata region, Juan Tomás Brito, and Pedro Germán of the 17-05 School District of Peralvillo, took the floor to highlight that some 31 schools in the area have benefited from the projects implemented by the School Boards. Thirteen of them are located in that municipality.

The representatives of the School Board, Pablo Martinez and Juana Perez expressed their gratitude for the project and indicated how motivated the students and the community are because this represents a step forward that has been made possible by the infrastructure, which provides security and a better environment for providing quality education for the children.

The opening ceremony took place amid the happiness shown by the students and the community, who celebrated with dances and songs, accompanied by drums music.

This event, which was attended by journalists from the different media, was also attended by the head of the School Boards’ Funds Transfer, Norma Garcia; the director of the José Altagracia Muñoz School, as well as the president of the School Board of the Catalina Martinez school campus.

Information on the School Boards

The School Boards were created in 1997 and have played an important role in the decentralization and streamlining of MINERD’s work. Among the strategies that they have developed are the: Educational Projects Network (PER); Establishment and Functioning of the School Boards Network; and Rural Education Management Networks.

The strategies employed by MINERD through the School Boards serve to improve the educational level of the students in rural and marginal urban areas.

These projects have been supported by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) through the Multiphase Program for Equity in Basic Education with a total of US$89 million, which has served to build Prototype Classrooms and for the Physical Rehabilitation of the Education Centers.

Students of the Jose Altagracia Muñoz Primary School, which is located in Bejuco Colorado, Peralvillo, Monte Plata, during a presentation that was part of the opening ceremony of this and two other schools operated through the School Boards. At the head table, Deputy Minister of Education Emilia Pereyra, OIC Technical Coordinator, Pablo Enrique Castillo Ulloa, local education authorities and community representatives.

School opened, with capacity for 88 students.