Santo Domingo.- The Dominican Republic Ministry of Education (Minerd) has disclosed a notable increase of more than 50 percent in spending on teaching staff in 2023 compared to 2019, underscoring its unwavering commitment to teacher well-being over the past four years. Government initiatives, led by Minerd, aimed at improving the well-being of teachers are manifested in several important aspects, with a notable increase in salary investment for educators.
El Minerd summarized the positive changes by revealing that the average salary of Primary teachers rose from 50,600 pesos in 2019 to 63,829 pesos in 2023, which represents a substantial increase of 26.14%. Meanwhile, secondary school teachers experienced an increase in their average salary from 58,610 to 63,092 pesos, reflecting an increase of 7.65%.
In 2023, Minerd implemented a salary increase that benefited 21,464 retired and pensioned teachers. Those who earned less than 25,000 pesos had their salaries increased to that amount, and those who earned more than 25,000 but less than 30,000 pesos received an increase to 30,000 pesos.
Compared to 2019, Minerd increased contributions to the National Institute of Teacher Welfare (INABIMA) by 76.94% to finance the pensions of retired teachers. Investment in teacher training through the National Institute for Teacher Training and Education (Inafocam) increased by 77.6%, and contributions for teacher health care through the ARS SEMMA increased by 136.56%.
This salary adjustment for the teaching sector is part of the historic agreement that Minerd signed in 2023 with the Dominican Association of Teachers (ADP), with the aim of ensuring better living conditions for active and retired teachers and their families.