Omar Fernández warns rising Haitian student enrollment is pressuring Dominican schools

Santo Domingo.- Senator Omar Fernández of the National District warned that the sharp increase in Haitian student enrollment, combined with fewer Dominican students in classrooms and a growing number of children without places in public schools, is putting additional pressure on the Dominican Republic’s education system.

Fernández said Haitian enrollment rose from just over 25,000 students in 2007 to more than 205,000 in 2025, an increase of 716%. He noted that the ratio changed from roughly one Haitian student for every 100 Dominican students to one for every 13.

The senator stressed that the constitutional right to education must be guaranteed but argued that it should go hand in hand with an orderly migration policy, stronger border controls and greater oversight of entry and residency in the country.

He also highlighted what he described as a growing contrast in school enrollment: while more than 180,000 Haitian students were added, some 141,500 Dominican students stopped attending classes during the period analyzed. According to official data cited by Fernández, Haitian nationals accounted for 94.7% of the increase in foreign students.

Fernández also questioned the Government’s program of placing students who cannot find space in public schools in private institutions through vouchers. He said the initiative, introduced in 2022 as a temporary measure, has expanded as the number of students without public-school placements has increased.

The legislator argued that the situation reflects both challenges in migration management and weaknesses in educational planning, calling for greater investment in school infrastructure and more efficient use of public funds.

Fernández urged the Government and society to address the issue through a combination of migration control, education planning, expanded school capacity and protection of public resources.