Alert in the education system: Massive increase of foreign students in public classrooms reported
A recent investigation has brought to light an issue that has caused great concern in the social and educational sphere of the Dominican Republic. Communicator Pamela Rojas has exposed an exponential increase in the enrollment of Haitian students within the public school system, pointing out that this situation is causing the displacement of national students and an unsustainable financial pressure on the State.
Figures that set off alarms
According to the data presented, the growth of the foreign student population has been constant in recent years. While in the 2021-2022 period there were approximately 118,000 students of Haitian nationality, current projections indicate that this figure already exceeds 205,000 students. Rojas denounced that the Ministry of Education has maintained a stance of little transparency regarding these statistics, forcing independent data cross-referencing due to the lack of updated official information.
Economic impact and educational budget
The analysis highlights that the economic investment allocated to this student population is significant. According to what has been stated, the cost assumed by the State to cover the education of these students even exceeds the funds allocated to higher education in the country.
Haitian students in our classrooms take away much more than what is invested in higher education in the country; more than 8% of the total budget of the Ministry of Education.
Pamela RojasThis figure represents, according to the research calculations, more than 79 million dollars above the general budget of the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology (MESCYT).
Displacement of the Dominican student
One of the most critical points of the complaint is the difficulty that Dominican children face in accessing a spot in public schools. This phenomenon has caused many national families to be forced to migrate to the private sector or rely on state vouchers. The investigation identified concerning cases where there are educational centers with an enrollment composed entirely of foreign students, leaving local children without access to their own classrooms.
Stance towards the authorities
Rojas questioned the effectiveness of current policies, pointing out an evident disconnection between border control and the operational reality of educational centers. The communicator emphasized that, in addition to basic education, the system is absorbing more than 30,000 foreign adults into literacy and adult training programs.
- Average annual increase of 18,000 new foreign students.
- Lack of legal documentation for a large portion of the foreign enrollment.
- Risk of total saturation of the public system in the medium term.
Finally, an urgent call was made to the competent authorities to review migration and educational policies, warning that, if this trend continues, the Dominican State will face a governance crisis in its educational system, directly affecting the right of Dominican citizens to receive a quality public education.
