Dominican secondary enrollment still below pre-pandemic levels

Dominican Republic education authorities acknowledged that secondary school enrollment has not recovered to pre-pandemic levels, with persistent dropout rates driven by socioeconomic factors that make school unattractive to youth. Education Minister Luis Miguel De Camps said during the Almuerzo del Grupo de Comunicaciones Corripio that recovery has been uneven across levels, with secondary being the slowest Source: hoydo. While other levels have recovered or even surpassed pre-pandemic numbers, secondary remains a weak point Source: eldiado.

Key figures

• 422,000 students enrolled in initial education (ages 3–5), a historic high above pre-pandemic levels Source: hoydo.
• Average secondary dropout rate is 5%, rising to 6% among males Source: hoydo.
• Over 120,000 students are in STEM and arts/technical-professional programs Source: hoydo.

Response measures

To address dropout, the ministry launched "Secundaria Avanza" last year, focusing on teacher training, active methodologies, and curriculum relevance. This year, they will implement a support project for lagging students and an early warning system to identify at-risk students before they leave Source: hoydo. The ministry also promotes STEM and technical-professional modalities to enhance employability Source: eldiado.

School year start

Regarding the start of the school year, De Camps denied the Dominican Association of Teachers' (ADP) claim that 800 centers had not begun classes, attributing delays to teachers who ignored the union's decision to support the start Source: hoydo. He acknowledged that with over two million students and 8,000 schools, issues always arise Source: hoydo.