President Luis Abinader received this Friday the doctor “honoris causa” degree in Public Policy, the highest distinction, awarded by the Universidad Tecnológica del Sur (Utesur), for having taken into account higher education institutions in his educational policies.
The distinction to President Abinader is contained in the resolution of the Board of Directors of Utesur, in a meeting held on October 29, 2022.
After receiving the distinction, the president said: “I am excited, but at the same time committed to this honoris causa that this Universidad Tecnológica del Sur offers us today”.
Referring to public policies, he said that these should seek an integral development, where the Government can also promote regulated business development, so that it does not affect the environment, so that it respects the rights of workers and the constitutional and legal order of the country, and thus create jobs, generate taxes and that these, in turn, reach the people in services.
“We are a government of sensible public policies, of public policies of those that have worked to reduce poverty, to develop and maintain a level of growth”, affirmed President Abinader.
He emphasized that as proof that the public policies he is promoting are working, the country has three quarters of the year in which the poverty level has dropped to the lowest levels ever in the history of the country.
The President recalled that in the most difficult moments the country has experienced, the urgent matters were attended to without forgetting the important ones, and the planning and execution of projects to guarantee the development of the nation continued.
He cited as examples of these actions, the Pedernales project, the urban train and transportation projects of Santo Domingo and Santiago; the port and industrial generation of electricity of Montecristi; the technical schools of Infotep and ITLA; the largest extension in the history of the UASD, among others.
He reiterated his commitment to continue supporting this university and said that to support Utesur is to support the province of Azua, the region and development.
He affirmed that where there is no strong academia, there is no real social and economic development in any region, municipality or province, because this is accompanied by academic development to be real and to be sustainable.
He insisted on the need to promote both the public and private sectors, so that both can compete in a healthy way for a better service to society in each of the corresponding areas.
He assured that the country has no risk of destabilization, neither macroeconomic, nor of the exchange rate, because the country has the largest reserve ever in the Central Bank, of 16,000 million dollars, almost three times the amount received.
“Today we have social peace and today we have confidence in the business sector to invest and that is also the formula for economic development and that is what we are going to continue,” he said.
He added: “I thank the Board of Directors of Utesur for this distinction, it commits me much more to follow these public policies and above all, with what is the banner of our government, which has to be transparency and honesty”.
President Abinader concluded by saying that, with this sensible public policy, with transparency, honesty and social peace, is the formula for the development of nations and the country is on this path.
The resolution containing the award was read by the president of the Azua Development Foundation and secretary of the Board of Directors of Utesur, Lucia Matos Mejia and the profile of the governor was read by the member of the Board of Directors of Utesur, Theanny Mejia.
President Abinader was presented with the insignia of the academy, the cape, the biretta with the tassel on the right side and the degree that accredits him as Doctor “honoris causa” in Public Policy, as well as the ring with the inscription of his name.
President Abinader’s firm commitment to education and youth formation
The rector of Utesur, María del Rosario Melo Muñoz, said that President Abinader has demonstrated his firm commitment to education and the formation of Dominican youth, and acknowledged his support for higher education through the creation of university extensions in this region, has allowed thousands of students to access quality education and prepare them to face the global challenges of these times.
“As rector of the Universidad Tecnológica del Sur, we want to highlight the importance of your leadership and the support you have been providing to universities, through the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology, the Ministry of Education of the Dominican Republic, the Ministry of Youth, as well as the Institute for Teacher Training and Education,” she said.
The rector of Utesur also highlighted the investment being made by the government in infrastructure works, such as the progress of the construction of the campus of the Autonomous University of Santo Domingo (UASD) in the province of Azua, which, she said, is the result of a social demand that Azua has been longing for for decades and which is supported by the university she directs.
He said that the strategic vision and determination of the president have resulted in a series of significant achievements that demonstrate the positive impact that these actions are having on the lives and future of the residents of this region. “Today, on this special occasion, we express our sincere appreciation for his dedication and inspirational leadership.”
Meanwhile, the president of the Board of Directors of Utesur, Ricardo Vílchez Chevalier, said that this recognition to President Abinader has been made for his personal and academic achievements and for his clear vision of public policies, aimed at raising the quality of life of the Dominican people.
He expressed his gratitude to the president for his support to the educational sector, achieving constant improvement in the quality of higher education in the country.
Jesuit Father Pedro Pablo Cartaya, who was the president’s professor and later his spiritual guide, said he was impressed and happy for this recognition of President Abinader, who came out of the classrooms of Loyola College and today, directing the destiny of the country, receives the highest distinction awarded by this university.
The bishop emeritus and vice-president of the Board of Directors of Utesur, Monsignor José Dolores Grullón Estrella, was in charge of the blessing.
Present at the ceremony were the Minister of Higher Education, Science and Technology, Franklin García Fermín; the members of the Board of Directors of Utesur; the president of the Dominican Association of Universities, José Alejandro Aybar; the president of the Dominican Association of University Rectors, José Hazim, among other personalities.
Source: presidencia.gov.do
