Dominican Republic digital literacy and education efforts

The Dominican Republic has initiated large-scale technological training programs to improve digital literacy. Through a partnership with Amazon Web Services, the ‘AWS Entrena República Dominicana’ program aims to provide 50,000 scholarships in artificial intelligence and cloud computing by 2028. Additionally, the ‘RD Inteligente’ project, managed by the Instituto Tecnológico de Las Américas, seeks to train one million citizens to integrate AI tools into various professional workflows.

President Luis Abinader has emphasized that these initiatives, which involve the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and SMEs and the Ministry of Education, are intended to empower citizens to use AI to enhance existing professional and academic activities rather than solely training programmers. The goal is to democratize technology access and foster an inclusive knowledge economy.

However, educators have raised concerns regarding the country’s academic progress in light of these technological advancements. Recent PISA assessment results show that student performance in Science, Mathematics, and Reading remains low. Specifically, data indicates students scored 361 in Science, 339 in Mathematics, and 346 in Reading, with only approximately 9% of students reaching the minimum expected level in Mathematics, 23% in Reading, and 26% in Science.

While Science showed a minimal increase compared to 2022, Mathematics remained stagnant and Reading saw a decrease. In response, the Association of Dominican Teachers (ADP) and various political figures are calling for a comprehensive educational transformation to address stagnant learning rates and ensure the nation remains competitive.