Santo Domingo.- More than two million students from the public education system are called to return to the classrooms this Monday, August 24, with the official start of the 2026-2027 school year in the Dominican Republic, in a day marked by preparations by the Ministry of Education and pending demands from the Dominican Association of Teachers (ADP).
President Luis Abinader urged fathers, mothers, teachers, and other members of the educational community to support the return to classes from the first day, while the Minister of Education, Luis Miguel De Camps, stated that the country’s schools are called to resume teaching and advance in compliance with the school calendar.
School year begins
Facing the new school year, the Ministry of Education reported that it has covered the entire need for teachers for the start of classes. As part of the school year preparations, the contracts of around 10,000 teachers were renewed and more than 90,000 teachers participated in training sessions during the summer.
Regarding infrastructure, authorities reported the addition of more than 1,200 new classrooms and corrective maintenance work in 1,342 schools, covering some 9,831 classrooms. The Ministry of Education had set a goal of approaching 1,500 new spaces to expand the system’s capacity.
School year and claims
The start of classes takes place amidst ADP demands related to the physical conditions of some centers, the availability of spots, the appointment of personnel, and the payment of incentives and retroactives derived from the Teacher Performance Evaluation.
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The president of the union, Eduardo Hidalgo, has warned that there are schools that, according to surveys conducted by the organization, still have leaks, deteriorating walls, problems with bathrooms, lack of water, and other difficulties that could affect the normal development of teaching. However, the ADP called on its members to join the centers that are in a condition to receive students this Monday.
One of the main points of disagreement between the authorities and the union corresponds to the availability of school spaces. While the ADP has estimated that more than 300,000 students could face difficulties in obtaining a spot, the Ministry of Education recently placed the number of students pending placement at around 6,000 and assured that it is working on alternatives to incorporate them into the system.
The new school year begins this way with more than two million students called across the national territory, while Education and the teachers’ union maintain different positions on some of the conditions under which the return to the classrooms is taking place.
