Government announces “Dominican Desk” design competition

Santo Domingo.- The Government has announced acompetition aimed at architects, furniture makers, industrial and interiordesigners and local students in these disciplines to design a “Dominican desk”for use in primary and middle school level across the country.

The winner will receive one million pesos and with takepart in the manufacture in some of the 400,000 desks that the State will buildin 2013 at a cost of some RD$600 million. The contract for manufacturing the desks will be tendered to small, medium and micro-businesses.

“This competition is evidence of president Danilo Medina’s will to boost economic development through national medium, small andmicro-businesses, industry and production”, said Presidency AdministrativeMinister José Ramón Peralta.

Education Minister Josefina Pimentel said that the winning design wouldhave the best ergonomics, comfort, low cost, quality and functionality, andwill be chosen from the top ten proposals selected by the jury panel.

Yokasta Guzmán from the Ministry of Education purchasing department saidthat the current cost of a school desk was between RD$1,600 and RD$2,000, sothey were budgeting about RD$600 million for the planned units.

The requisites for competing are listed on the Ministry of Educationwebsite www.minerd.gob.do and in advertisements in today’s print media.They will also be available from the Ministry’s purchasing department as of January2nd.

The government specified that public officials and employees could nottake part in the competition.

Proposals must be submitted in sealed envelopes containing a CD with thedesign and three printed color copies, from today until January 29th2013.

José Ramón Peralta added that this “Dominican Desk” initiative was aimedat strengthening the educational system through the creation of a desk that willbecome a trademark representing pride in being Dominican and a symbol of asociety of opportunities where talent, effort, work and creativity flourish, aswell as energizing the country’s economy.