Great topic RHM.
Although I think you are underestimating the effects of the past on what is happening now in the DR, I think focusing on these three issues is a good way to closely examine the current state of disfunction.
The question that needs answering first is 'Cui bono?' Who benefits from the present situation. Obviously, the Plutocracy running the country has the most to gain from the present situation of a population comprised of an overwhelmingly undereducated, uneducated, and illiterate citizenry.
Why would they want anything to change? With a uneducated, disorganized and generally subserviant population, they have their hold on power pretty much guarenteed.
Although many politicians routinely pay lip service to improving the educational system, few actually follow through with concrete action and/or the money and resources required for such an effort. They know a good opportunity when they see it.
All this brings me back to my first point; the lasting effects of historical events. In my opinion, Trujillo's years are still casting a shadow, which is long and wide, and covers the DR with a tradition of cronyism, an underlying popular acceptance of poor governance, and the learned helplessness that comes from being ruled by dictate, deception and deprivation, for decades.
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