The UASD-Baní will open the possibility of developing new careers such as law, engineering, economics, among others, which are not offered in the current program of the province due to the lack of classrooms.
BANI, PERAVIA PROVINCE.– As part of the central government's program to expand higher education, President Luis Abinader and the Minister of Housing and Buildings (MIVED), Carlos Bonilla, inaugurated the construction of the new campus of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD) in this municipality.
The new center responds to the community's long-standing request, as UASD students in this area receive classes in different buildings rented by the institution and public school buildings, making it difficult for them to get there due to the distance between the buildings and the transfers involved.
The new campus will be built on 9,100 square meters, divided into three buildings with a capacity for 41 classrooms. These spaces include five postgraduate classrooms and one administrative building. The campus will also have six laboratories, a sports field, a library, and an auditorium, giving it the capacity to enroll more than 2,000 on-campus students.
“Today, as public servants, we reaffirm that education is the foundation upon which a country's future is built. A well-trained young person contributes enormously to the development and transformation of a new Dominican Republic. Therefore, this government is committed to educating these young people and, in doing so, fulfilling its promise to build a better future for Dominicans,” Bonilla declared.
The new UASD Baní Center will open the possibility of developing new careers such as law, engineering, economics, among others, which are not offered in the current program of the province due to the lack of classrooms.
“This is a huge issue for our community. Students here can’t attend our current program; instead, they have to travel to Santo Domingo, which represents an average expense of over 10,000 pesos (just for transportation, not including food and snacks). Unfortunately, we don’t currently have the capacity to offer all university programs; we only have 16 academic offerings,” said Juan Hernández, director of the UASD in Baní.
Students from the main municipality, Sombrero, Matanzas, Nizao, Santana, Villa Fundación and even the province of San José de Ocoa, will benefit from the new educational structure, which will be built with an investment of more than 980 million pesos, which will positively impact the economy of the province through the generation of direct and indirect jobs.
President Luis Abinader stated that this is an unprecedented investment in UASD facilities, undertaken by his administration. “All the investments we are making in higher education are for the benefit of our youth. These centers will not only serve as a source of education, but should also be the cultural hub of the province, hosting diverse activities, lectures, and artistic events.”
“There are many students who cannot go to the capital and are left without studying, and then we have the worst loss that any society can have, which is young talent without development; and that is why we are making an extraordinary effort to develop these institutions in the different towns,” Abinader emphasized.
Community members in the area enthusiastically expressed their gratitude that the long-awaited construction of the new UASD will soon become a reality.
“When I heard that the center would be built, I just said 'wow, what peace of mind,' being able to have everything close by without having to travel a long distance to take a class,” said Ronni Pujols, a Hospitality and Tourism student.
Along with Abinader and Bonilla were present Genaro Rodríguez, Vice Minister of MESCYT; Emma Polanco, Rector of UASD; Milcíades Franjul Pimentel, Senator for the province of Peravia and Governor Ángela Yadira Báez, Josefa Oliva Castillo, Provincial Governor of San José Ocoa.
Also in attendance were Deligne Ascención, Minister of Public Works, Rafael Félix García, Minister of Youth, Víctor Masalles, Bishop of the Archdiocese of Bani, Luis Alcides Báez and Julito Fulcar Encarnación, deputies for the province, as well as Juan Hernández, director of the current UASD subcenter in Baní, among other authorities.
