Dominican Republic education faces scrutiny over PISA results and budget use

The Dominican Republic is facing intense scrutiny over its educational system following the release of PISA 2025 results and an analysis of decade-long spending. Between 2015 and 2025, the Ministry of Education (Minerd) managed an accumulated budget of over RD$2.2 trillion. Despite this significant investment, which has increased since the implementation of the 4% GDP allocation in 2013, critics and officials note that much of the funding is concentrated on salaries, operational expenses, and social security contributions.

PISA results indicate stagnant or declining performance in key areas. While there was a slight improvement in Science compared to 2018, Mathematics scores remained unchanged and Reading scores declined. Only 9% of students reached the minimum expected level in Mathematics, 23% in Reading, and 26% in Science.

Government officials, including Vice President Raquel Peña and Higher Education Minister Rafael Santos Badia, have called for a comprehensive review of the system. Officials emphasized that the challenge is not a lack of resources, but rather the quality of investment and the need to align academic offerings with the demands of the fourth industrial revolution, such as engineering and scientific research.