New Education Minister Urges all Sectors to Back Ministry Projects

New Education Minister Urges all Sectors to Back Ministry Projects
Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic 7/22/2013

The new Minister of Education, Doctor Carlos Amarante Baret, said education is everyone’s job and that it should take priority over individual interests. He appealed to teachers, students and all of society to get involved in this important project.

“We want to ratify that we are all going to make the greatest effort to ensure that the Dominican education system continues advancing and that the revolution we dreamed about and need for our national education can indeed become a reality,” …

Sworn in as the new Education Minister by Presidential Minister Gustavo Montalvo, Dr. AmaranteBaretsaid,“education is a common right for all and this is the general view society should have. In this sense, we are big enough and flexible enough to work with students, teachers and civil society and make this educational change a permanent one that catches on and continues moving forward for the glory of the entire Dominican population.”

The Minister of Education thanked Dominican PresidentDanilo Medina, for having placed his trust in him and designating him to lead the Ministry of Education (MINERD in Spanish), one of the most important ministries in the country.

At the same time, new Minister Amarante praised the work and merits of outgoing Education Minister Josefina Pimentel and thanked her for her dedication and assistance in the handover of the Ministry.

“We are at an important momentin the national political life of the country, especially in terms of education where we have always said we want to make revolutionary changes. I know we have advanced, but we all know there are still many hurdlesand limitations. We know that if our children and young people are not well educated in our schools in the areas of language, mathematics and science, the future of the country will be dark,” said the new Education Minister.

He stressed the work and action that MINERD has undertaken to improve the quality of Dominican education saying thatthe fundamental commitment of those involved in this sector is to give children from the nation’s poorest areas a quality education.

“We intend to assist all actors involved in this task: students, teachers, parents, friends of the school and members of civil society who have played an important role in helping this institution to have the necessary resources assigned by the national budget of the Republic,” said Minister AmaranteBaret. He explained that 4% of the Gross Domestic Product would be used for education and that this new allocation is a reality thanks to President Medina’s vision, sensibility and commitment to education.

“We want to ratify that we are all going to make the greatest effort to ensure that the Dominican education system continues advancing and that the revolution we dreamed about and need for our national education can indeed become a reality,” said Amarante Baret.

He added that the pilot plan of the Dominican Institute of Telecommunications (INDOTEL in Spanish) to establish 200 digital centers in 200 school in the 31 provinces and National District will positively impact education as it seeks to create a digital culture in children starting in the first grade.

Gustavo Montalvo, Minister of the Presidency, asked MINERD employees for their collaboration in making Dr. Amarante Baret’s transition a smooth one, especially taking into account that soon the new academic year will be starting and continuity of the Ministry’s action is important.

“The new Minister and his team will have the permanent support of the Presidency of the Republic so that he and the ministry can easily achieve the established goals for our nation’s education,”said Mr.Montalvo.

Likewise, he also stressed the importance of the work done by former Education Minister Pimentel, who he praised as having done an excellent job and having provided important educational services to the country during her nearly 3 years as Minister.

Former Minister Pimentel also spoke at the swearing in of her successor. She thanked President Medina for the confidence he placed in herduring his first phase of government.

She expressed her support for the new Minister and said she would be at his service if necessary to continue strengthening the country’s education.