Education Minister Organizes Civil Service Exams for Principal and Teacher Positions

Education Minister Organizes Civil Service Exams for Principal and Teacher Positions
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 6/5/2012

Minister of Education, Josefina Pimentel, oversaw the official opening of a series of competitive exams to be taken by aspiring civil servants seeking jobs as school principals and teachers. The Ministry of Education will be administering the exams until next Wednesday throughout the 18 educational regions around the country.

“Those who demonstrate competencies in teaching on an elementary school level will be given an opportunity to interact with our children who aspire to continue developing in a school which meets their needs and respects their dignity,” said Minister Pimentel.

These exams comply with requirements established in Education Law 66-97 which state that those individuals entering into the teaching profession must do so by taking and passing a civil service exam.

At the ceremony, held in the San Isidro Air Base of the Dominican Air Force´s Nuestra Señora del Perpetuo Socorro Polytechnic School, the Education Minister said the evaluation process will take place simultaneously around the country on June 4, 5 and 6.

The Minister affirmed that 15,000 people will be participating in this first round of testing for these job placements in elementary schools as well as jobs in orientation positions, school principal, assistant principal and physical education teachers. Next week hundreds of people will be taking tests for elementary school posts.

“Those who demonstrate competencies in teaching on an elementary school level will be given an opportunity to interact with our children who aspire to continue developing in a school which meets their needs and respects their dignity,” said Minister Pimentel.

Likewise, Carmen Pujols, Director of Human Resources of the Ministry of Education (MINERD in Spanish), offered a general orientation of the process. This included the psychological testing phase of the candidates who are seeking positions as principals and assistant principals at elementary and junior high schools as well as orientation staff and physical education and early education teachers.

On June 5, they will return to take written tests, depending on which positions they are seeking. Those who pass the tests and have the necessary number of points, will go on to have the final interview on Wednesday.

Ms. Pujols said that because of the high number of applicants, those seeking elementary school posts will be asked to apply through a similar process on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday of next week.

Once the activity was finished, Minister Josefina Pimentel took a tour of the school´s installations and spent some time with the students.

The invocation was given by Father Nelson Acevedo, president of the Regional 10 School Board. Colonel Ramón Emilio Álvarez Monegro, Superintendent of the Polytechnic School, spoke the words of welcome.

Others joining the Education Minister at the directors´ table included: Minerva Vincent, Deputy Minister for Pedagogical and Technical Affairs; Cástulo Reyes Pozo, Advisor with MINERD; Chief of Staff of the Dominican Armed Forces (FAD in Spanish), General Gilberto Santiago Delgado Valdez; Argentina Henríquez, Director of Regional 10 and Radhamés Camacho, president of the Dominican Association of Teachers (ADP in Spanish).

To open the event, the FAD Army band and choir performed the National Anthem.

Education Minister, Josefina Pimentel, giving encouraging words of motivation to aspiring principals and teachers.