Higüey, DR.- The Ministry of Education of the Dominican Republic (Minerd) and the Puntacana Foundation have signed an agreement to construct the Minerva Mirabal Reyes educational center. This new facility will be located in Educational District 12-01, in the Las Dos Jardas sector of the Verón Punta Cana municipal tourist district in Higüey.
The agreement was signed by Ángel Hernández, Minister of Education; Frank R. Rainieri, President of the Puntacana Foundation and Chairman of the Board of Grupo Puntacana; and Ramón Antonio Ramírez, Municipal Director of Verón-Punta Cana.
Under the agreement, the Puntacana Foundation will be responsible for building the school campus, while Minerd will manage the direction, administration, equipment, and operation of the educational center, ensuring it is ready for the 2024-2025 school year.
During the signing ceremony, Minister Hernández emphasized the critical need for public-private sector collaboration in the educational sector due to its significant impact on the Dominican population. He stated, “When there is a good educational system, people’s lives improve and public investment is optimized.” He expressed gratitude to the Punta Cana Group for its support and urged the business sector to emulate such initiatives to enhance the nation’s education system.
Frank R. Rainieri Marranzini highlighted the importance of public-private alliances, stating, “I believe that the development of our country and all sectors must include significant contributions from these alliances, where private and public sectors join forces to achieve the best results nationwide.” He noted that the Puntacana Foundation has long contributed to improving education in the country and that such efforts benefit the Verón Punta Cana community and beyond.
The agreement specifies that the educational center will include all of Minerd’s extracurricular programs and the extracurricular educational initiatives implemented by the foundation in its other educational centers.
The Verón-Punta Cana Tourist Municipal District will transfer 1,042.27 square meters to the Ministry of Education for the construction of the educational center and approximately 5,000 square meters in the same sector for another secondary-level educational center.
This agreement strengthens inter-institutional cooperation between Minerd and the Puntacana Foundation, reaffirming their continuous commitment to the educational development of the country through the foundation’s Corporate Social Responsibility program.
Vice Ministers Ancell Scheker of Technical and Pedagogical Services and Julio Cordero of Administrative Management were also present at the signing ceremony.