Education in the Dominican Republic, as in every nation, intends to prepare children and young adults to participate in a democratic society and contribute to their families and communities. Unfortunately, education is one of the most struggling sectors in the Dominican Republic. This module will give an overview of three components of education in the DR:
The education system
Challenges to educational achievement
The lives of children and youth in and out of school
At the end, please share reflective thoughts on what you have learned, what was similar and/or different from what you expected, and what you hope to bring as part of your work with DREAM.
PART I THE EDUCATION SYSTEM Schools in the DR are organized into primary and secondary schools. The national system includes a set grade structure that is comprised of one year of pre-school, eight years of primary school, four years of secondary school, and then various universities and technical institutes. Students take national exams in the final grade of both primary school and secondary school in order to graduate. While both private and public schools are available, all levels of basic public school are free.
PART II CHALLENGES The following video provides some general statistics about challenges to the education system in the Dominican Republic.
As you can see from the video, the system is in need due to lacking facilities/infrastructure, teachers and teacher education, and time for quality instruction. By both Dominican (Pruebas Nacionales) and international standards (TERCE), Dominican children are severely underperforming.
PART III THE LIVES OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN D.R. Some key community life aspects heavily influencing education performance include poverty, malnutrition, early entry into the workforce, and lack of documentation. The following UNICEF overview will help you see how these factors play into the schooling of children and youth; please read the four page links.
Education in the Dominican Republic, as in every nation, intends to prepare children and young adults to participate in a democratic society and contribute to their families and communities. Unfortunately, education is one of the most struggling sectors in the Dominican Republic. This module will give an overview of three components of education in the DR:
At the end, please share reflective thoughts on what you have learned, what was similar and/or different from what you expected, and what you hope to bring as part of your work with DREAM.
PART I THE EDUCATION SYSTEM
Schools in the DR are organized into primary and secondary schools. The national system includes a set grade structure that is comprised of one year of pre-school, eight years of primary school, four years of secondary school, and then various universities and technical institutes. Students take national exams in the final grade of both primary school and secondary school in order to graduate. While both private and public schools are available, all levels of basic public school are free.
PART II CHALLENGES
The following video provides some general statistics about challenges to the education system in the Dominican Republic.
As you can see from the video, the system is in need due to lacking facilities/infrastructure, teachers and teacher education, and time for quality instruction. By both Dominican (Pruebas Nacionales) and international standards (TERCE), Dominican children are severely underperforming.
PART III THE LIVES OF CHILDREN AND YOUTH IN D.R.
Some key community life aspects heavily influencing education performance include poverty, malnutrition, early entry into the workforce, and lack of documentation. The following UNICEF overview will help you see how these factors play into the schooling of children and youth; please read the four page links.
http://www.unicef.org/republicadominicana/english/children.html
OTHER INFO
Below you may find additional information on education in the Dominican Republic:
REFLECTION/DISCUSSION
What did you learn? Share your thoughts in the discussion below.