The state of higher education in the Dominican Republic
The state of higher education in the Dominican Republic
Date
2022-03-06
Authors
José David Hernández Martich
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Abstract
Knowledge is the new wealth! Apple and Google, two of the most valuable companies in the
world, are prime examples of this new reality. Driven mostly by novel advances in science and
technology, these global brands have significantly changed our way of life. This awareness
is now forcing countries around the world to seek new ways to keep up with this everevolving economy. These countries also agree to the concept of scientific innovation being
synonymous to higher education. Therefore, in order to remain competitive in a globalized
market, developing countries in particular are now called upon, to train a new cadre of
future workers to a higher standard. Training skilled workers and making them available
to the wider economy have become a daunting challenge for the developing world. Case
in point, the oldest university in the Americas, Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo
UASD, just received its first patent in 2020, after more than 500 years of existence. For
too long, higher education has been assigned a relatively low priority, as one of the major
economic sectors in the Dominican Republic, the tourism and hospitality industry, does not
require highly technical trained workers. By any measure, making the leap from teaching to
research intensive universities is not a small task for the Dominican government, especially,
considering their current situation of chronic underfunding, underpaid faculty, and
underdeveloped curricula. With an everincreasing student population, institutions of higher
learning in the Dominican Republic can barely maintain their current position, let alone
catch up to the MITs and Oxfords of the world, which are constantly raising the stakes.
Here we propose a few scenarios that may help academic institutions in the Dominican
Republic or the developing world as a whole, increase their potential of promoting growth
and economic development in this global economy.
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Keywords
Innovación científica, Educación superior, Educación superior
Citation
Hernández Martich, J. D. (2022, marzo 6). The state of higher education in the Dominican Republic. Universidad Autónoma de Santo Domingo (UASD).