Dominican Republic
Meeting and initial conversations have taken place to make the Dominican Republic the newest of the Open Learning Exchange development sites. In cooperation with the Ambassador, Jose Santana Silvestre, and his director of special projects, Mariel Feliz Peralta, OLE has engaged the City of Lawrence, Massachusetts and its school system to partner in developing OLE applications and partnerships in the Dominican Republic. Lawrence is a particularly fitting partner as it is home to the largest Dominican population in the United States outside of New York City.
On Tuesday, April 8 Director Feliz Peralta met with the Mayor and school Administrators in Lawrence to discuss the development of the OLE Dominican Republic program. The Director of the City Music program at Berklee College of Music also attended and expressed great interest in establishing a City Music program in the Dominican Republic that would be associated with the OLE initiative.
Additional contacts with both the City of Lawrence and the Dominican Republic are scheduled for early in May, leading to a public presentation to the Lawrence School Committee. A memorandum of agreement has already been signed by Superintendent Laboy. As a result of the meeting, Director Feliz Peralta is collecting and forwarding the Dominican Republic’s Educational Standards and Assessments, and discussing the possibility identifying an OLE Board of Directors as well as approaching several notable leaders in Santo Domingo who may serve as the national OLE Executive Director. Due to ongoing activities in the Dominican Republic and the strong support of Ambassador Santana Silvestre, the likelihood of establishing a board and identifying a local director is high.
The Dominican Republic OLE will benefit from work currently being done in OLE Nepal. There is great interest in using laptop computers as a platform for connecting teachers and learners in at least four urban areas around the country: Santo Domingo, Santiago, Puerto Plata, and one other location. Each of these project sites would coordinate through OLE to develop, apply, evaluate and share educational programs, applications, activities and results.
The interest and potential involvement of Berklee College, through its City Music program, is an additional attractive element that could result in a national program akin to the Cultural Digital Hot Spots being developed in Brazil by Minister of Culture Gilberto Gil. This combination of existing elements, people and activities of mutual interest with the support of national and local officials at the highest level gives OLE Dominican Republic the potential to be a highly successful site and a springboard for future OLE activities throughout Central and South America.
Joe Rappa, Consultant and Regional Coordinator, Latin America
