First Lady faux pas hinders VP ticket bid

Santo Domingo.- The first lady Margarita Cedeño’s statement that society shouldn’t demand more money for education or 4% of the Gross Domestic Product, drew wide rebuke in early Tuesday TV talk shows.

“What we should be demanding, instead of money and more money than what we just finished giving, and 4%, is support for the teachers and improve their quality and capacities,” she said yesterday, when asked the March for Education held Sunday with thousands of people, organized by the Dignified Education Coalition.

She said administrations headed by the PLD party have invested the most in the educative sector, “we have to be very clear that in 2004 we found a budget of RD$11 billion, which has been increased to RD$58.5 billion.”

Cedeño said General Education Law 66-97 establishes 4% as its minimum budget, but the electricity and fuel subsidies which reach nearly 12% of the budget need to be considered, “which makes the increase even more impossible.”

The First Lady, speaking in the Education Ministry said international studies have shown that the educative system is too focused on consumption, “and we must work more with improvement its quality and processes.”

The TV commentators agreed that Cedeño’s statement doesn’t help her chances to get on the ruling party ticket with Danilo medina for next year’s presidential election.