DR: Those who don't know ... teach

The overall poor quality of education received is showing up in the educational level of students opting for a career in education, according to a front-page report in El Caribe newspaper today. Victor Encarnacion, the director of the School of Pedagogy at the UASD, the state-owned Autonomous University of Santo Domingo, told the newspaper that 80% of the teaching candidates registering for the courses bring with them sixth-grade level reading, writing and mathematic skills. Encarnacion says that a majority of the students are between 25 and 40 years of age and come from academic institutions, many night schools, where instruction is substandard. They are also people who work, with 40% of them having a family to support and some of whom obtained high school diplomas through distance programs. Nonetheless, at least 20% of the candidates are already in the schools teaching.

Encarnacion told reporter Etania Maria that they believe that students who decide to major in Education at UASD are those with the lowest degree of academic preparation, and that they come from the middle levels of schooling with the worst grades, something that does not occur in other fields.