Santo Domingo, D.N.- The U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo and the Instituto Cultural Domínico-Americano (ICDA) held the third meeting of the Working Group for the Advancement of the English Language in the Dominican Republic, in which teachers, administrators and other key leaders of the Dominican society related to the teaching of the English language collaborate. This last meeting featured keynote remarks by the Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy, Ms. Patricia Aguilera, and Dr. Franklin García Fermín, Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology.
This working group is a collaboration platform for these key actors to continue strengthening the quality of English language teaching at the national level through high-impact projects. The theme of the meeting “The Role of Higher Education in the Quality of English Language Teaching” was presented by Dr. Miguel Mariñez, with the participation of English teachers and technicians from the public and private sector from different educational regions.
In her opening remarks, Mrs. Aguilera, Chargé d’Affaires of the Embassy of the United States, emphasized that “we want to continue working to reduce the socioeconomic inequality gap by empowering young people through education, specifically in English, and working closely with key partners. He also indicated that “the U.S. Embassy will invest US$75,000.00 in the English Immersion Program developed by MESCyT and will provide U.S. experts to provide support, teacher training, and develop teaching materials for the success of this program”.
On the other hand, Dr. Garcia Fermin, highlighted the importance of English from different perspectives. In his words, he emphasized that “this language [English] favors universities that promote and develop advanced English programs, because it is a plus that places them in important positions in national and international evaluations.
This profitable meeting highlighted the U.S. government’s investment in Dominican education through the teaching of the English language, a positive impact on the country’s economic progress. To date, the Ministerio de Educación (MINERD), the Ministerio de Educación Superior, Ciencia y Tecnología (MESCyT) and other governmental institutions and educational NGOs have invested more than US$1.5 million in teacher training programs, materials development, and other projects. The English Working Group is composed of representatives of the ICDA, the Instituto Técnico Superior Comunitario, the Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo, APEC University, the Instituto Nacional para la Capacitación y Formación del Magisterio (INAFOCAM), Universidad Pedro Henriquez Ureña (UNPHU), and other local institutions and the industrial sector, the Contact Center Cluster and BPOs.
Working Group for the Advancement of English
This is a high-level initiative of the U.S. Embassy in Santo Domingo together with the Instituto Cultural Domínico-Americano to connect relevant institutions in the dialogue of English language teaching in the Dominican Republic both in the public and private sectors, and civil society, through periodic meetings with collaborative activities. This Working Group promotes initiatives to continue supporting the work of teachers to ensure that every Dominican student can learn English for their personal and professional development.
