Spanish
Santo Domingo. - The Ministry of Education of the Dominican Republic (MINERD) announced that the English for a Better Life program will be implemented this year in 321 new educational centers, which will benefit about 150,000 students in the pre-university system.
The initiative includes a self-study digital platform and was presented during a two-day conference with school principals, regional and district technicians from the Foreign Languages area.
According to official data, in its first year the program reached 50,000 sixth-grade high school students in 144 schools in the country's 18 Educational Regions, with the aim of providing them with linguistic skills that strengthen their labor and academic insertion.
With the addition of these new centers, 465 schools will be impacted for a total of 200,000 young people benefiting from this English language teaching program as a second language, which constitutes a presidential goal for 2025-2028 of the administration of President Luis Abinader and is part of the pillars and roadmap of the Minister of Education, Luis Miguel De Camps.
The Vice Minister of Technical and Pedagogical Affairs, Ancell Scheker, highlighted that the use of the digital platform is part of a special plan by MINERD to expand English language learning.
"Learning in English is important, there is a definite decision by the Ministry of Education to advance in this goal, and I know that together we will achieve it, with determination, with commitment and motivation. So we count on you, with center directors, coordinators and technicians to make it a reality", said the vice minister.
María Elena O’Rouke, administrative coordinator of the English Unit, highlighted that the participating directors and coordinators will act as replicators of the experience, which will facilitate the expansion of the program in each campus.
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"The Ministry of Education has taken the step it had to take. We are bringing together technology, the acquisition of a foreign language, and our children's contact with different cultures. The moment has arrived and we are here to move forward," said O'Rouke. English for a Better Life is implemented through the Education First (EF) platform, which combines cutting-edge technology with teaching-learning methodologies, allowing students and teachers to access agile and flexible learning.
