Education in the DR

[PICHARDO]

Some of you are familiar with past postings I made here regarding the future of Education in the DR...

I posted on the plan to move large parts of the education system on-line via the use of wireless networks and loaned laptops to students, so that educators can reach the students in their homes and be more effective in using 21st century technology as well.

As I indicated before in those posts, one of the major companies the DR was engaged with to this end was Microsoft. Today was made public part of the plan in the news via the signing of the accord of the DR and Microsoft Dominicana.

This step, with little major notice on the plan, will become the stepping stone to our education system. The plan is to be rolled out by stages, being 2015 the year that all education will be conducted via electronic means in the DR.

The Education dept will soon have a budget supplied under a new Law that will automatically provide a % of the national budget to it regardless of administration in power. Once the Education department is overhauled to the new system this will take place.

The faculty of the Education department will make use of the best we can gather worldwide, and at the same time, creating the home horned faculty members that will fill those posts after all is 100% done.

Dominican students will have the support materials up to the minute and not be based on outdated educational materials.

Dominican students will be trilingual from the early stages of basic education.
A weekender military program will also be incorporated to our intermediate and high school student body curriculum. Creating a volunteering core able to task during emergencies of natural kind; as well as civil obedience roll outs.

A vigorous physical education programme will be deployed as well, one able to produce future world class athletes that can represent the nation to world events.

A foreign student exchange program is also going to be placed to allow our best students to learn about other cultures and technologies on-hand. Academic achievement will be rewarded as such...

Within two more Olympic competitions the DR will become more than just an added participant to turn into a contender in many fields...
We have the people, all we need is the right tools to allow them to fully bloom.

[Bayx-**]

It's sound very promising...

[A.Hidalgo]

Originally Posted by PICHARDO

The Education dept will soon have a budget supplied under a new Law that will automatically provide a % of the national budget to it regardless of administration in power. Once the Education department is overhauled to the new system this will take place.

Reminds me of The General Education Law 66-1997. It was passed more than a decade ago to spend at least 4% of the GDP or 16% of the national budget on investments in education......the children are still waiting.

[BushBaby]

Originally Posted by PICHARDO

I posted on the plan to move large parts of the education system on-line via the use of wireless networks and loaned laptops to students, so that educators can reach the students in their homes and be more effective in using 21st century technology as well.

As I indicated before in those posts, one of the major companies the DR was engaged with to this end was Microsoft. Today was made public part of the plan in the news via the signing of the accord of the DR and Microsoft Dominicana.

This step, with little major notice on the plan, will become the stepping stone to our education system. The plan is to be rolled out by stages, being 2015 the year that all education will be conducted via electronic means in the DR.

GREAT news PICHARDO ....... are Microsoft going to be supplying the US $100 'wind up' variety of laptop or have the Electricity Companies guaranteed to supply a minimum of 10 hours electricity each day to EVERY household where children live so that the laptop batteries might be recharged?

Is this 'AGREEMENT' going to be a 'cross party agreement' to ensure the complete plan is instituted by 2015 or will any incoming NEW political party be able to scuttle the agreement (as with the present "WE WILL SUPPLY 4% OF THE GDP FOR EDUCATION) when times get hard?

I can see there will be a glut of 'laptops' sitting in the Compra Ventas by 2015! ~ Grahame.

[PICHARDO]

Originally Posted by BushBaby

GREAT news PICHARDO ....... are Microsoft going to be supplying the US $100 'wind up' variety of laptop or have the Electricity Companies guaranteed to supply a minimum of 10 hours electricity each day to EVERY household where children live so that the laptop batteries might be recharged?

Microsoft will be in charge of the software and faculty training only, several ISP will deal with the connectivity issues (free of charge to the gov); the laptops are being negotiated with several major corporations...

At first stages (three years give or take) students will participate via special wired rooms (the ones called centers today by Indotel) so that kids will have 100% electrical service until the energy issues are ironed out.

Is this 'AGREEMENT' going to be a 'cross party agreement' to ensure the complete plan is instituted by 2015 or will any incoming NEW political party be able to scuttle the agreement (as with the present "WE WILL SUPPLY 4% OF THE GDP FOR EDUCATION) when times get hard?

The agreement is binding to any administration in power as the education dept will be overhauled and provided full autonomy from the administration, only the heads will be appointed via a special panel made up of educators and supreme court judges.
The funding for the new education department will be protected via a law that will need to go to the supreme court for any challenges... Not even the president will have veto over the budget assigned to it afterwords...

I can see there will be a glut of 'laptops' sitting in the Compra Ventas by 2015! ~ Grahame.

The laptops will be fitted with a homing device that can't be taken out or erased from the system. Apart from that device, the units will not be your regular laptop, but ones which specs are unique to the system employed by the education dept.

Think of a veryyyyyyy basic laptop, with a limited HDD and ram...
Think of them more like terminals than your run of the mill laptop in use today.
Students will have USB flash drives that can be attached to the system in order to download school related materials for safekeeping...

One last thing: The laptops will be made unlike other laptops, as they will come in a custom configuration and layout as well. No chances of spotting them in the PC chop-shops anytime soon...

Think of the role of the gov to evolve into a federal gov, providing provinces more autonomy and departments with their own budgets replenished from specific VAT that will be rolled out soon by steps. The Education Dept budget will be more than enough to cover all the bases...

City, province and federal taxes will come soon to the DR!!!

[leromero]

Pichardo, while I applaud this initiative and hope it does turn into reality, I can't help but think how much money was used in payoffs. In the DR nothing happens "for the good of the people" unless there is an irregular exchange of funds somewhere along the line.

From my university experience playing the Microsft game is far from a win-win situation. It's great they are poning up for software and training, but this will come at a significant cost. Students will be locked into only MS software even if there are better alternatives out there.

If this program is approved and is rolled out to the masses as planned I will be very surprised. Even more so if the program last a year without the funds being diverted to someone's pocket.

[Sanation]

It is wonderful to see such technological advances, but I have to question why such initiatives have not been trialled in a 'western national', say Australia, where distance plays a major factor in delivering education to rural communities? Why trial such an expensive initiative in the DR?

To be honest, my observations and experience of working with Dominicans (all my staff are University educated and many have lived and worked overseas) there are major short comings with the education system here, that I honestly don't think a computer based schooling system would even scratch the surface.

More importantly, one of the major by products of education is teaching children important social skills that enable them to function effectively in the community. Turning up to class on time, not speaking in class, doing homework, playing sport... these are all important in developmental and learnt behaviours which are honed by a traditional education system.

How about starting with the basics like reading and writing? I would like to know how a computer based system is going to teach that? It is hard enough for a traditional teacher to ensure that all their students are receiving enough attention to develop their skills.

It would be nice to know that the children going through the education system now will come out being able to do a little more than write a few words that look like chicken scratchings.

I would love to see all Dominicans have the opportunity to receive a good education and an improved standard of living. I am doing my bit by ensuring that our staff are well trained and given opportunities to learn new skills.

The first skill my administration staff have learnt is to think - I have a team of staff who are now able to problem solve and find solutions. We are taking baby steps, but in the past 6 months I have seem a marked improvement. These skills have only been developed from constant reinforcement and refining. I've been the one to sit with my staff, question them, force them to come up with the solution - and then praise them and give positive reinforcement.

I'd like to see how a computer will do that...

[Robert]

Let's hope the same guy that got given the contract (yes given, very little is won or awarded on merit/tender here) for the AMET breathalyzers and ticket machines does not get the school laptop contract (see today's news).

Somethings I can kind of see happening, but this type of stuff I will need to see to believe.

As Sanation pointed out, reading and writing would be a good start, being able to think is a real bonus.

The sad fact is that most Dominican kids are taught to remember and not to think.

[Frank the Tank]

Pichardo, please take off your purple tinted glasses. If this program actually happens, those laptops will end up in the hands of the politicos, their families and cronies, not public school students. If by chance a few do make it to pupils hands, how long will it be before there are news headlines about robberies of laptop computers. There are much better and less fantasy filled ways to improve the education system in DR.

[Lambada]

Originally Posted by PICHARDO

I posted on the plan to move large parts of the education system on-line via the use of wireless networks and loaned laptops to students, so that educators can reach the students in their homes and be more effective in using 21st century technology as well.

Even if the laptops reach the children, even if the home has power to make the computer function, how will distance learning motivate the children to actually switch the machines on? And if the kids want to, what's to stop the parents using their children's services at home to clean, do housework or garden work, go out to earn money etc etc?

It seems to me that the success of a scheme such as this rests on a high level of motivation by both child and family. Some will have it. But what of those who do not place a high value on education?