MESCyT clarifies “there will be no merger, but rather the creation of a new Dominican educational system”

Rafael Santos Badía stated that the reform does not seek to merge institutions, but rather to promote transformation and articulate the national knowledge system. Santo Domingo.– The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology (MESCyT), Rafael Santos Badía, clarified this Tuesday that the merger is not contemplated between the Ministry of Education (MINERD) and MESCyT, but the creation of a new educational system within the framework of a profound reform. The official explained that the existing project will not be withdrawn from the National Congress, as it is part of the ongoing legislative process. However, he indicated that work is currently underway on a “new Education Law” aimed at comprehensively transforming the Dominican education system. Santos Badía specified that the possibility of establishing a single Ministry of Education, Science and Technology has not been ruled out, but emphasized that it is not only about merging existing institutions, but about structuring a new educational model. In that sense, he explained that the new approach contemplates a comprehensive vision of education, which encompasses from early childhood to the culmination of academic training.

“Education will be seen from the entrance door of a child, from 45 days old in a Comprehensive Early Childhood Care Center (CAIPI), until the culmination of their formative process,” he expressed.

The minister detailed that the reform proposes, firstly, an education for life and, secondly, the possibility of opting for technical or university training, aspects that were not contemplated in the original project.

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The MESCyT head announced that the proposal is being socialized through the media and anticipated that, by mid-April of this year, the Education Law project is expected to be submitted to the National Congress, in conjunction with the Ministry of Education (MINERD) and the Ministry of Public Administration. “We hope that this year we can first achieve legislative reform and then move towards curricular reform,” he indicated. For such purposes, Santos Badía held a meeting with the Assembly of Rectors, in which he presented the guidelines of the initiative, with the purpose of continuing the process of concertation. Likewise, the rectors of higher education institutions (HEIs) expressed their support for the curricular transformation proposal of the school and the entire Dominican education system, promoted by MESCyT as part of the public policies of President Luis Abinader. This initiative seeks to build a comprehensive vision of Dominican education, articulating the different levels of the system, from the initial level to the doctorate, with the purpose of training citizens prepared for the challenges of the country’s economic, social, and technological development.