Crisis at the start of the school year: ADP reports hundreds of centers without classes
The start of the 2026-2027 school year has faced significant obstacles in the Dominican Republic. According to data revealed by the Dominican Association of Teachers (ADP), a total of 237 public educational centers failed to open their doors during the first week of classes, a figure that worries the educational community and has been attributed mainly to deficiencies in school infrastructure.
Eduardo Hidalgo, president of the teachers’ union, presented the results of the first monitoring carried out by the Professor Rafael Santos Badía Educational Observatory. The report details that this group of affected centers represents 12.9% of the universe evaluated between August 24 and 28.
One out of every eight reported centers did not open with students. These are 237 specific schools, not an average.
Eduardo Hidalgo, president of the ADP
Structural challenges and lack of planning
The ADP report provides revealing data about the reality of schools in the country:
- Partial opening: 108 centers (5.9%) began activities only in specific shifts or levels.
- Main causes: Of the 345 schools that did not have a full opening, 57.7% pointed to physical deterioration, unfinished construction, disabled classrooms, and a lack of basic services such as water and electricity.
- Lack of maintenance: It is alarming that 60.3% of the schools evaluated (1,105 centers) did not receive repairs during the school vacation period.
Hidalgo criticized the lack of planning in infrastructure works, pointing out that at least 121 centers could not receive students due to work that was still in progress at the time the academic year began.
Overpopulation and school quotas
In addition to structural problems, the ADP warned about a shortage crisis affecting thousands of families. It is estimated that nearly 100,000 preschool children could be left out of the system, while some 300,000 primary and secondary students are on waiting lists or being placed in unconventional spaces.
Overpopulation has forced some centers to transform common areas, such as libraries, dining halls, and teachers’ lounges, into improvised teaching spaces, recording classrooms with up to 50 students. The monitoring, which covered 22.3% of the country’s public schools, highlights the urgent need for a comprehensive intervention in the national education system.
