Schools to be demolished for seismic strengthening

Roberto Herrera Polanco, director of School Infrastructure, announced that operations at 57 schools have been suspended as part of an anti-seismic strengthening initiative. Of these, 34 schools will be completely demolished and 23 will undergo partial demolition.

Herrera Polanco explained that the initiative is part of a broader plan to evaluate and intervene in school facilities, presented in February 2026. The evaluations are concentrated in areas near the Cordillera Septentrional, due to the proximity of the country's main seismic fault and the soil characteristics of the region.

Schools slated for total demolition are situated on land owned by the Ministry of Education of the Dominican Republic. These centers are currently being assessed by the Ministry's Planning Department to determine the type of projects to be developed. Twelve companies have been contracted to evaluate the structural vulnerability of educational centers nationwide to potential earthquakes.

Additionally, Herrera Polanco reported that out of 60 buildings initially identified for intervention due to short column defects, 42 are currently being addressed, and 19 have already been completed. The School Infrastructure department has also focused on schools under construction, with 60% to 90% completion, projecting the delivery of over 1,500 new classrooms by the start of the school year. A "24/7 maintenance" program has been implemented for existing classrooms, with interventions planned for 1,457 schools.

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We took, with the responsibility that it warrants, the decision to stop the use of about 57 school buildings. Of these 57 buildings, 34 require that they be totally demolished, while the difference, partially.