NewsWhore
12-16-2010, 04:50 PM
In the DR, the baby boomer generation studied with hardcover books handed down to brothers and sisters and friends. Somewhere along the line, publishing companies convinced the Ministry of Education to change these for workbook-textbook combinations that obliged parents to buy new books every year. And now, the Ministry of Education's decision to totally change the textbooks for a methodology that integrates mathematics and language studies into sciences and other subjects is being debated on the grounds that little will be gained. The change has a RD$700 million price tag at a time when many are saying that these funds could be better used in other ways.
7dias.com.do reports that a panel held yesterday discussed the proposed textbook change. Participating were Josefina Zaiter (Flacso, the social and economic think tank); Antinoe Fiallo for the Santo Domingo Technological Institute (INTEC), Argentina Henriquez for the Centro Cultural Poveda and Dinorah de Lima for the Ministry of Education. Also present was Education Minister Melanio Paredes and directors of public and private schools.
A Mexican company has designed the new books, but it is unknown if a tender was held for the contract. 7dias.com.do reports that what emerged from the discussions was that the Dominican public educational system is not working and there are doubts if the new investment in the books can solve the problem. Taty Pou of the UASD said that students entering the state university have a 6th grade level in mathematics and language studies.
Antonio Flores of INTEC made the point: "With classrooms of more than 50 students, teachers dying of hunger we cannot talk about curricular changes," he said.
As reported in Hoy, the president of the Dominican Academy of Language, Bruno Rosario Candelier says the proposed texts marginalize the teaching of language skills. He said the Academy is convening specialists to review the integrated book texts in January.
www.7dias.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=88648 (http://www.7dias.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=88648)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#5)
7dias.com.do reports that a panel held yesterday discussed the proposed textbook change. Participating were Josefina Zaiter (Flacso, the social and economic think tank); Antinoe Fiallo for the Santo Domingo Technological Institute (INTEC), Argentina Henriquez for the Centro Cultural Poveda and Dinorah de Lima for the Ministry of Education. Also present was Education Minister Melanio Paredes and directors of public and private schools.
A Mexican company has designed the new books, but it is unknown if a tender was held for the contract. 7dias.com.do reports that what emerged from the discussions was that the Dominican public educational system is not working and there are doubts if the new investment in the books can solve the problem. Taty Pou of the UASD said that students entering the state university have a 6th grade level in mathematics and language studies.
Antonio Flores of INTEC made the point: "With classrooms of more than 50 students, teachers dying of hunger we cannot talk about curricular changes," he said.
As reported in Hoy, the president of the Dominican Academy of Language, Bruno Rosario Candelier says the proposed texts marginalize the teaching of language skills. He said the Academy is convening specialists to review the integrated book texts in January.
www.7dias.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=88648 (http://www.7dias.com.do/app/article.aspx?id=88648)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#5)