INEFI launches School of Investigators to Promote Innovation in Dominican Physical Education

SAN FRANCISCO DE MACORÍS.. – Within the framework of the XI National School Sports Games San Francisco 2025, the National Institute of Physical Education (INEFI) celebrated a significant milestone with the launch of its School of Researchers. The event, which took place from August 26 to 28 at the San Francisco Campus of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD), brought together 100 Physical Education teachers from the 18 educational regions across the country.

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The initiative seeks to train research educators, fostering innovation and the adoption of good educational practices in order to improve the quality of teaching. Dr. Manuel Morel, INEFI’s teaching director, offered words of exhortation, while Lic. Alberto Rodríguez Mella, INEFI’s executive director, was in charge of the central and closing remarks of the event. Dr. Sandy Portorreal, coordinator of the INEFI School of Researchers, presented the structure and functioning of the program. He explained that the school is aimed at producing research on the various aspects of teaching and being part of a broader research ecosystem. This ecosystem integrates teacher support, the Scientific Technical Forum, the School Sports Games, the research communities, and the class competition, among others.

The overall objective of the school is to establish and operate a training center that promotes applied research and innovation in Dominican physical education. To this end, it seeks to train teachers as competent researchers, foster inter-institutional collaboration, and improve the quality of teaching through evidence-based practices.

During the three days of the event, the teachers participated in a series of workshops and conferences designed to strengthen their research capabilities. The topics covered include the elaboration of research topics, the writing of academic articles, and statistics applied to research. The workshops were delivered by a group of expert facilitators, including Dr. Rodolfo Ventura, Dr. Henyer Zamora, Dr. Lamec Fabián, Dr. Anazario Rodríguez, and Dr. Sandy Portorreal himself. This joint effort by INEFI and UASD underscores the commitment of both institutions to educational excellence and the generation of relevant knowledge for the integral development of Physical Education in the Dominican Republic. The inaugural day was attended by prominent personalities. Doctor Roberto Marte, General Director of UASD in San Francisco, gave the welcome and thank you speech to the participants. For her part, Dr. Judith Martínez, Teaching Deputy Director of UASD Recinto San Francisco, gave the keynote speech “Research and its impact on Dominican education”. Dr. Manuel Morel, Teaching Director of INEFI, offered words of exhortation, while Lic. Alberto Rodríguez Mella, Executive Director of INEFI, was in charge of the central and closing remarks of the event.