Education Minister Attends Graduation of 1,568 New Readers in Boca Chica

Education Minister Attends Graduation of 1,568 New Readers in Boca Chica
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic  2/17/2012

The Minister of Education, Josefina Pimentel, attended the third graduation of the Learning Opens Roads Youth and Adult Literacy Program given by the Senatorial Management Office of Santo Domingo Province, which recently graduated 1,568 new readers from Boca Chica.

“All of you, regardless of your age, what you do for a living, your family size and the daily struggles that many women face, you wanted to do this and you have done it. How proud we all are of your tenacity, your dedication and the commitment you’ve made to yourselves!” said Minister Pimentel.

Speaking at the closing ceremony, Minister Pimentel congratulated the graduates and urged them to maintain the commitment they made to their new reading skills which they acquired through hard work and overcoming many obstacles.

“All of you, regardless of your age, what you do for a living, your family size and the daily struggles that many women face, you wanted to do this and you have done it. How proud we all are of your tenacity, your dedication and the commitment you’ve made to yourselves!” said Minister Pimentel.

Notwithstanding, she said that there is still many challenges ahead because the goal is to learn to read better and better and to continue to excel as human beings.

The Ministry of Education (MINERD in Spanish) has strengthened strategic alliances with different sectors of Dominican society to support the national commitment to improve and reinforce the learning of reading, writing and math, not just among adults but also – in fact, especially – among elementary school children.

Cristina Lizardo, Senator from the province of Santo Domingo, affirmed that while the illiteracy rates in the country are currently around 10%, it is important to note that they dropped substantially from 2004 when 12.7% of the population could not read and write.

“With determination and sustained effort, we can provide access to education for young people and adults with disadvantages and needs and we can assure that from 40% to 70% of these recent new readers will continue to study and move up the employment ladder to get better jobs,” said Senator Lizardo.

She stressed that the Learning Opens Roads program, now in its third year, has taught 8,500 people from the municipalities of Santo Domingo West and North, as well as from Los Alcarrizos.

The 1,568 graduates in Boca Chica live in the communities of Monte Adentro, Invi, El Brisal, Barrio Azul, Club Náutico, Los Tanquecitos, Cristo Rey, La Malena, Altos de Chavón and Campo Lindo, among other places.

The event, held in the Tierra Alta complex auditorium,  was attended by – in addition to Minister Pimental and Senator Lizardo –  Santo Domingo Province Governor, Idelfonso Vásquez; Senator from La Romana, Amarilis Santana; Rafael Cisneros, representative of the Cisneros Foundation and Agustín Cruz Hernández, Executive Director of the Tierra Alta complex, who gave the invocation.

Others in attendance included Deputies Alfredo Martínez, Minú Tavárez Mirabal and  Adalgisa Pujols; Osiris Mota, President of the Manos Unidas Foundation and Jacinta Estévez, Program Coordinator of the Learning Opens Roads program. Words of appreciation were given by Mrs. Sonia Jerez Moreta.


Education Minister, Josefina Pimentel, and Santo Domingo Province Senator, Cristina Lizardo, give a certificate to Johanny Ozoria Amador, who represented the other graduates.