Quote:
Originally Posted by A.Hidalgo
Hey NALs were you on R&R...I missed you except your long posts.Lol
Now to the issue on hand. Those figures you quoted above are meaningless unless they are put in context.
As I'm sure you know that Ley #66-97 or Ley Organica de la Educacion de la Republica Dominicana states that a minimum of 4% of GDP is to be spent on education. The Dominican government is spending less than half of that. According to UNESCO's latest figures its 1.1%.
The way I see it the new subway system is a good thing, but not to the detriment of the education of future generations.
http://www.unesco.cl/medios/bibliote...lac_ingles.pdf
(statistic page 231)
Ley de Educación: Títulos X y XI |
Nothing happens over night.
In 2002, the figure barely was 1% of GDP and the RD$32b for 2008 would put it at 2.5% of GDP. If the funding for education continues to increase in the next four years as it has in the last four, the DR will be funding much more than 4% of GDP on education by 2012 when the next elections are due.
Considering that from 2000 to 2004, the percentage of GDP devoted to education fell (mostly because funding was increased in extremely tiny amounts relative to the economy as a whole), the growth seen in the past four years are promising.
They are not promising on a short term basis, and that is the logic behind all the criticisms; but they are promising on a long term basis as long that funding continues to increase year after year as it has in the past four years.
Education funding increased substantially during the 1996-2000 PLD administration, it again has increased substantially during the 2004-2008 PLD administration and if the PLD wins in May, judging by its track record, it will continue to increase substantially between 2008-2012 time period.
It looks promising.
-NALs