Hiccups at the start of school year

[NewsWhore]

With at least 5 schools still not open due to on-going repairs, the school year, now one month old, has gotten off to a somewhat shaky start, according to a report by Listin Diario. The newspaper says that innate weakness in the system, lack of supplies or preparations and negligence on the part of some mid-level Ministry of Education officials are behind the problems affecting the normal course of events in the schools. Minister Melanio Paredes told reporters that he accepted that there were still weak spots such as the non-completion of regular school hours that he attributed to a lack of coordination, commitment and competence among ministry officials.
Paredes said that the 5 schools that were undergoing repairs, located in Bahoruco, Puerto Plata and Monte Plata, would reopen for classes this week. He said that the much-ballyhooed lack of school texts is an issue of non-fulfillment of delivery dates by the publishers. He also said that some "unscrupulous" individuals had stored away texts in some school districts. The minister said that the lack of textbooks was a "problem of inefficiency, lack of controls and supervision".
He called his 203 district supervisors to a meeting on Saturday where he warned that such lax performances might require the resignation of the offending regional director.

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