Santo Domingo.- Ministry of Education of the Dominican Republic (minard) implements through General Directorate of Guidance and Psychology, Preventive action and timely intervention to meet the challenges affecting the students and the society as a whole, such as teen pregnancy and early union with a view to ensuring The wider well-being of children and adolescents in the pre-university public education system.
The goal of these actions is prevent the occurrence of these social events as well as to delete dropout and school dropout As a result of these, according to Director of Guidance and Psychology, Francisca de la Cruz, who told that for this MINERD has Around 10,000 professionals in the field of guidance and school psychology.
as part of Office of Childhood and Adolescence MINERD is committed to a policy of prevention and attention to early unions and pregnancies in adolescents In coordination with other sectors of the system to protect the rights of children and adolescents.
Within this framework, de la Cruz explained that Comprehensive Sex Education Program in Values To be applicable to all educational levels, modalities and sub-systems at the national level, In coordination with the families of the students Gave them responsibility in the integral formation of their sons and daughters.
The head of guidance and psychology indicated that a comprehensive sex education program in values would be effective Upcoming School Year 2023-2024 procedurally, “Adapting current curriculum approaches, content, and strategies based on students’ ages and grades.”
he insisted on the program “Educates understanding and regulation of emotions, making conscious and critical decisions regarding health and well-being, taking care of your body, enjoying family life, respectful and supportive interpersonal relationships, responsible sexuality, and practicing human rights . , Formulation of a life project ”.
De la Cruz assures he has trained this school year 714 lead teachers at the elementary level, 42 academic coordinators and 226 technicians in the social-emotional education component, Thereby addressing practical strategies for boys and girls on self-knowledge, emotional self-regulation, personal care, recognition of rights and responsibilities, affection and limits in relationships with others and other fundamental issues for their integral development.
In addition, he stressed that MINERD with the support of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)execute the program prevention of early associations Thereby providing methodological tools for developing preventive activities.
This program guides high school students about early associations and negative effects of pregnancy during adolescence, provides them Strategies to reflect critically on the contexts of their lives and development.
De la Cruz pointed out that a total of 30 districts have participated in the training strategies across 5 educational areas, where 558 educational centers and 145,958 high school students have been affected,
He said that a similar Care protocols for pregnant students, mothers or fathers to guarantee their right to quality education, This protocol has psycho-pedagogical and psycho-emotional support and provides guidelines for the identification, referral and activation of other social institutions that protect the rights of adolescents, such as the health sector and social transfer programs.
One of the efforts made by MINERD is the design of vocational guidance strategy At all educational levels from the next school year with an emphasis on the secondary level.
According to de la Cruz, this strategy ensures that the student body can Value yourself, your skills, possibilities and challenges, To build and conduct a satisfactory life project to prevent various psychosocial risks. have been trained Over 7,000 Educational Consultants For their implementation through various strategies. Other.
“It is important to highlight the Culture of Peace program, which aims to develop the capacities and strategies of the educational community that contribute to peaceful and harmonious coexistence, and the establishment of healthy and respectful relationships, turning them into conflict mediation tools. train, regulation of emotions, positive discipline, among others” Added director of guidance and psychology.
He affirmed that these various programs follow the approach of the present curriculum and are expressed with Competencies and Curriculum Content of Different Areas of Knowledge, He cited the fascicles designed by Minard during the 2022-2023 school year as an example. “Where there is vibrant presence of comprehensive sex education, harmonious co-existence, culture of peace and experience of values from the curriculum propose that teachers should plan in the classroom for academic development of students on daily basis”.
Francisca de la Cruz pointed out that, in relation to the various current challenges in the educational sector, that the Directorate recovers Statistical data to guide risk prevention plans and programs affecting the wider health of the educational community Among them, the prevention of pregnancy in adolescents and early unions.
As he explained, these constitute multifunctional events Associated with demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, cultural practices, social expectations, risk behavior in the face of peer pressure, situations of abuse and internalized violence, limited educational and health services provision, weaknesses in security systems, etc.
“This reality requires interdisciplinary coordination to provide a multidisciplinary response to these events that affect the comprehensive development of children and adolescents and limit opportunities to live with well-being,” Forced.
He added that, although the data they handle reveals the dynamic of a school that has wide-ranging challenges, “Making them transparent is an exercise of responsibility that allows us to move forward firmly in fulfillment of our institutional mission and to support and protect our students to guarantee their harmonious and integral development and the full exercise of their fundamental rights “.
