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PLD Official Urges Measures to Reduce School Costs for Dominican Families
A senior official from the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD) has called for policies to ease the financial burden of the back-to-school season, arguing that no family should have to choose between meeting basic needs and paying for their children's education.
Elso Segura Martínez, secretary of Labor Relations for the Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), said the rising cost of returning to school remains one of the biggest financial challenges facing working families in the Dominican Republic. His remarks come as households prepare for the start of the new academic year, a period he described as one of significant economic pressure.
Segura Martínez, who also serves as president of the Miguel Soto labor movement, made the comments in an article published by Vanguardia del Pueblo, the PLD’s official newspaper. He argued that access to education should not depend on a family’s income and called for broader public policies to reduce inequalities in the education system.
Back-to-School Expenses Strain Household Budgets
According to the opposition party official, the beginning of the school year forces many families to secure resources to cover expenses such as enrollment fees, textbooks, school uniforms and other education-related costs in both public and private schools.
He said the financial burden falls most heavily on low- and middle-income households, whose earnings, he argued, are often only sufficient to cover essential expenses including food, housing, transportation and healthcare.
Call for Broader Public Policies
Segura Martínez said discussions surrounding the new school year should extend beyond the price of school supplies and focus on whether families have the financial capacity to meet education costs without compromising their economic stability.
He maintained that education should be guaranteed as a fundamental right rather than determined by parents’ income levels. In his view, expanding educational opportunities requires strengthening public policies designed to reduce economic disparities.
Proposed Measures
Among the proposals outlined by Segura Martínez are improving the quality of public education, expanding support programs for families, reviewing policies governing the production and distribution of textbooks, promoting free digital educational resources and encouraging initiatives that lessen the financial impact of the back-to-school season.
The statements reflect the PLD’s position on education and household affordability ahead of the new academic year. The article did not include any response from the Dominican government or education authorities regarding the proposals.
