ARTICLE - OFFICIAL BACK TO SCHOOL TODAY

OFFICIAL BACK TO SCHOOL TODAY
(Haiti Libre) -

President Michel Martelly, the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training, UNICEF and the World Food Programme (WFP), will proceed to the official opening of the new school year, this Monday, October 3, 2011 at 8:30 [Haiti time] at the National School of Tabarre, [located on Tabarre 27, after Carrefour Fleuriot].

All arrangements to allow the enrollment of more than 140,000 children, who were never enrolled in school, were taken, according to the office of the presidency. According to official sources, the program of free education for the entirety of eight departments of 10, could concern the support of school fees by the State, of 700,000 children [in school already]...

Buses from the transport company Dignité will provide free transportation of schoolchildren in uniform, as the Head of state stated last Wednesday.

With the 2011-2012 school year which begins, UNICEF, WFP and their partners renewed their commitment to support the country's efforts in the field of education. UNICEF has begun distributing school supplies to 750,000 children and to 15,000 teachers in the country.

In total, 2,500 schools will receive support from UNICEF, which injects nearly $10 million into this operation. UNICEF promotes the right to education for all children of Haiti as stipulated in the constitution of 1987.

Again this year, as part of the National School Feeding Programme (NSCP), WFP and their partners will provide a hot meal daily to 1.9 million children. Alone, WFP will provide food to 1.1 million students spread across the country.