Ministry of Education to Rehabilitate Cristo Rey School in La Romana

Ministry of Education to Rehabilitate Cristo Rey School in La Romana
La Romana, Dominican Republic 9/11/2013

The Ministry of Education will invest 19 million pesos in the reconstruction of this community’s Cristo Rey School, which is in a deplorable condition and poses a danger to students and teachers.

The rehabilitation will encompass 30 classrooms in the Cristo Rey School, and will include the replacement of waterproofng with apolyester canvas, side walks and perimeteraccess, complete replacement of the interior and exterior electrical system, installation of door sandprotective ironforincreased in ternal security at the school.

The announcement was made here by the Minister of Education, Mr. Carlos Amarante Baret, who said that because of the urgency of the situation and to avoid delays, work will be allocated by competitive tender in coordination with the local branch of the College of Engineers, Architects and surveyors (CODIA). He said that if the repair of 30 classrooms in the school undergoes abidding process tender there would be a delay of at least three months. Amarante Baret made ??the announcement in a lecture discussing the work of President Danilo Medina, attended by local authorities, leaders of the Dominican Liberation Party and special guests led by the provincial governor, Juan Jose Santana Medrano. 

He recalled that on a previous trip he had promised to make the repairsafter he visited the school and confirmed that it was in a deplorable state including broken windows and interior walkways destroyed, “and the authorities told me there are thieves who target this poor school and sometimes even “pull” during classes.”

“Well”, he added, “the first thing we arranged was to talk with Colonel (Bienvenido Victoriano) Fabian, chief of the School Police, and now we have police here; we have also strengthened security with military police and two civilian watchmen, hiredjust this week.”  

He saidhe instructedOmarGuevara, Director of Maintenance in the Ministry of Education, to make a survey ofthe workto be executedinrepairing the school,”butthenit turns out thatrepairs werefor a tenderandbiddingin that lasts threemonths.”

The rehabilitation will encompass 30 classrooms in the Cristo Rey School, and will include the replacement of waterproofng with apolyester canvas, side walks and perimeteraccess, complete replacement of the interior and exterior electrical system, installation of door sandprotective ironforincreased in ternal security at the school.

In addition,a channelwill be made for the collectionof rainwater, theperimeter fencereplaced with a wall ofblocks,the courtyard repaired and electrificationinstalled inside and out.

The Education Ministersaidthatdue to the commitment madeto the Cristo Rey community thebeginning of this workcannot waitthree months.  So this weekCODIAwill conveneto coordinate withGovernor MedranoSantanaand Omar Guevara, the General DirectorofSchool InfrastructureMaintenanceat the Education Ministry, to begin the school’s rehabilitation.

Amarante Baret hopes that a drawingfor the work will be done between Thursday and Friday this weekin La Romana so that the rehabilitation process will start as soon as possible because of the school’s importance for the community of La Romana.

A Labor of Love

In his keynote address, the Minister of  Education said that the National Literacy Day which is currently developing is “the greatest labor of love thatthis governmentis going to havewhen that program finishes.”

He saidthere are an estimatedone millionDominicanswho cannot reador write, andso in all provincesjoint boards have been createdled by senators, governors, trustees, deputies,regionaland districtdirectorsofeducation,churches, civilsocietyand volunteers whoare working onthisnational day ofliteracy.

The authorities have registered more than 340,000 Dominicans of both sexes, of whom 65,000 have graduated who can already read and write.

The State in which the Cristo Rey school is in La Romana, to be renovated by order of the minister, Mr. Carlos Amarante Baret, with an investment of 19 millionpesos