The Inter-American Development Bank announced the approval today of a $52 million loan to improve the quality, coverage, and accessibility of secondary education in the Dominican Republic.
Investments will be made in both infrastructure planning and physical infrastructure, and an estimated 750 classrooms will be either rehabilitated, expanded or replaced.
Special classes will be instituted to accelerate the educational process for overage students, and summer classes will reduce the repetition rate.
Management will be reformed into a more efficient and decentralized model, and 1,080 managers in the education system and 3,500 teachers will receive training.
Financing will be provided for the production and distribution of close to 1,789,000 textbooks.
The loan is for a 26-year term, with a 3 and ½ year grace period, at the variable annual interest rate, now 7.03 percent. Part of the interest will be defrayed by the Intermediate Financing Facility.
The program is the first phase of a two-phase education reform that will be carried out by the Secretariat of State of Education*.
Previously, the Bank support improvements in basic education in the Dominican Republic with a loan of $59 million in 1991 and a $52 million loan in 1995.