The Ministry of Culture has released it’s findings from a survey carried out through out the country during last year, reporting that 40% of Dominicans would rather watch television than pick up a book to read and that 31% confessed to hardly ever reading at all. 

The Dominican Republic is undertaking a new 5 year plan for Books and Reading 2007-2012 and the above findings were an integral part of this initiative.  The Education Minister for the DR, Alejandrina German gave a presentation for the plan on Friday.

She outlined the main 5 objectives that the Ministry wants to concentrate on which involves promoting the creation, certification and strengthening of early childhood and to continue the education programs to that teachers, librarians and other educators can eventually become “reading mediators”.

Part of the program is to also transform reading practices which will influence and give better reading comprehension as well as recovering and strengthening the book’s role in the education system as a tool for cultural and spiritual knowledge and awareness. Alejandrina German said that educators and students had to change and become part of a community of readers as this is the only way to achieve this.

She concluded that reading was a habit that could influence any person’s success and that the benefits are reflected in development of intellect.