Rafael Santos Badía affirms that the Minerd-Mescyt merger advances despite differences with the ADP

Santo Domingo.– The Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology (Mescyt), Rafael Santos Badía, assured that the process promoted by the Government to reorganize the education system “is going very well” and has the support of broad national sectors, although he acknowledged that there are differences with the Dominican Association of Teachers (ADP). Santos Badía specified that he does not use the term “merger” to refer to the initiative involving the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Higher Education, but rather prefers to call it “education reform”.

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“The ADP has not said that it supports the creation of a single ministry. Neither did I say it, nor have they denied it. What they have said is that they will participate in the process, although they have their differences, and that is natural in a democracy,” the official expressed when asked about the union’s position. He indicated that the most important thing is to have the participation of all sectors, even if they maintain different positions. In that sense, he affirmed that universities, entrepreneurs, churches, and young people from communities are called to be part of “a great concert to reform Dominican education.”

ADP Rejection

Yesterday, the Dominican Association of Teachers rejected that it is supporting the initiative and reiterated its opposition to the proposal. The union president, Eduardo Hidalgo, warned that the union will not allow a position contrary to its institutional line to be imposed on it.

“Rafael is mistaken if he thinks he can impose a position on the ADP that is contrary to the thinking of the union as a body,” Hidalgo expressed in a press release.