NewsWhore
11-18-2008, 03:00 PM
As part of an agreement with Wind Telecom, the Ministry of Education will place 5,000 plasma televisions in 1,066 schools around the country beginning in January. Wind Telecom will facilitate the transmission of educational channels including Discovery Channel, Discovery Science, Discovery Civilization, Discovery Turbo, Animal Planet, Biography and The History Channel. The first stage of the program will include 500 centers in Santo Domingo, the National District, Santiago, Bonao and La Vega. Education Minister Melanio Paredes said that the Ministry currently has some of the funds for the program but hopes that the business sector and other agencies will help develop the initiative. Paredes added that the television programs would be incorporated into educational curriculums.
While many feel the initiative could help bridge the digital gap and compensate for teacher deficiencies, critics wonder whether plasma televisions are the best investment when the educational system is reeling from other problems including over-crowding, lack of a constant power supply and running water, and a shortage of classrooms.
Meanwhile, the Dominican Teachers Association (ADP) that groups public school teachers says that it has collected 535,000 signatures from citizens who support an initiative aimed at increasing government funding to education to 4% of the GDP. The Minister of Education says he will be happy if his budget is raised to 2.5% of the GDP.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#2)
While many feel the initiative could help bridge the digital gap and compensate for teacher deficiencies, critics wonder whether plasma televisions are the best investment when the educational system is reeling from other problems including over-crowding, lack of a constant power supply and running water, and a shortage of classrooms.
Meanwhile, the Dominican Teachers Association (ADP) that groups public school teachers says that it has collected 535,000 signatures from citizens who support an initiative aimed at increasing government funding to education to 4% of the GDP. The Minister of Education says he will be happy if his budget is raised to 2.5% of the GDP.
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#2)