[LaTeacher]

remember that thread a long time ago about education in the DR? if i had mentioned some of the falling-down-holes-in-ceiling-over-crowded-understaffed high schools in santiago. the students of the HS in Ensanche Espaillat have spent the last two or three years sending letters, petitions from the community and visiting the school district trying to get the problems resolved. nothing.

what's worse than nothing? take a school that's literally falling apart. no windows in the window holes. lack of desks. lack of SPACE. unpaid teachers (as in, they haven't received their "nombramiento" yet and DON'T GET PAID) and ADD all of the best ideas the ministry of ed. has. a new pilot english program. writing programs. and expect the kids to excel in a dump.

well. it's finally happened. the press showed up two days ago. did a 6 minute expose on the school. melanio himself was on the phone to santiago the VERY SAME DAY. i'm not sure that it would have been fixed otherwise, but we all know you have to do what you have to do in this country to get things done. paredes says "no quiero que me esten criticando por situaciones de que no se nada". (i don't want to be criticized for situations he knows nothing about). yesterday afternoon a truck showed up with 300 desks, blackboards, two desks for the office, some filing cabinets...

and even more.

the promise that as soon as the community and the district finds the land - a new school will be built.

don't know if that will happen, but at least there was more response than with the prior administration.