Are 1,265 new classrooms enough for the 2025–26 school year?

Santo Domingo.- As the Dominican Republic prepares to open schools on August 25, the government proudly touts the delivery of 1,265 new permanent classrooms alongside 302 mobile units, with another 275 mobile classrooms slated for September and October. Yet behind these numbers lurks a persistent question: will these additions truly bridge the nation’s chronic space shortage, or merely paper over deeper infrastructure gaps?

Under the Aulas 24/7 program, the Ministry of Education initially committed to delivering 1,100 new rooms. By early August, Infrastructure Director Roberto Herrera declared that not only would the target be met, but exceeded, hence the 1,265 figure. He insists that “these classrooms will ensure capacity for every student” in public schools. In the same breath, he acknowledged the installation of 302 mobile units this month, with 275 more to follow, each accommodating up to 40 pupils.

Yet reports from Listín Diario warn that even with 1,265 new shells, an additional 303 mobile classrooms remain essential to absorb the surge in enrollment. That closely echoes government data showing a 30% rise in incoming students for early-childhood programs alone, where three- to five-year-olds now occupy tripled initial-education classrooms since 2022, thanks to 80 new Inaipi centers.

Temporary fixes, long-term needs

Mobile units offer speed but lack permanence and comfort: heat, humidity and limited durability can undermine the learning environment. Critics argue that reliance on “caravans” defers investment in sturdy, climate-controlled buildings. With more than 4,300 classrooms added over recent years, President Abinader notes, the system should have more breathing room by now. Instead, legal and structural delays stalled many projects for three years, prompting back-to-back emergency measures and ad-hoc rentals in high-demand zones.

Beyond bricks and mortar

The government’s four‐pronged preparation, covering infrastructure, staffing, student welfare and materials, has yielded welcome gains: 124,000 teachers trained in STEAM methodologies, extended-day schedules expanded to 36 new centers, and textbooks, uniforms and desks dispatched nationwide. These efforts reflect a more holistic approach, but do little to curb overcrowding in older schools, where class sizes regularly exceed 40 students.

A call for transparency

To evaluate sufficiency, education officials must publish district-by-district data on student-classroom ratios and mobile-unit allocations. Without clear metrics, the figure “1,265” risks becoming a talking point rather than a solution. The government’s pledge to follow up with short-, medium- and long-term roadmaps is encouraging, but only if coupled with independent monitoring and targeted funding for underserved regions.

Expanding classrooms, permanent or mobile, is only one piece of the puzzle. True relief demands strategic planning, durable construction and accountability. As August 25 looms, the Dominican Republic must ask not just whether 1,265 new rooms arrive on time, but whether they arrive where they’re most needed, and whether they can stand the test of time.