ARTICLE - UPDATE ON EDUCATION PLAN

UPDATES TO PRESIDENT'S PLAN FOR EDUCATION FALL WELL BELOW EXPECTATIONS
(Defend Haiti) -

PORT-AU-PRINCE - The Presidential Adviser for Education, Georges Gaston Mérisier, a few days from the start of the school year, that has been pushed back a month to October 3, explained the changes in the education system in order to accommodate 142,000 new students.

In Le Nouvelliste , Mr Merisier said that the presidency identified 142,000 children, ages 8 to 12, in 8 departments (not including the Ouest and Artibonite) through a door-to-door process.

Of these children, 80% were enrolled in the state's schools, which were already free. These schools will accommodate the new students by operating in double shifts. The other 20% of these children will be enrolled in private institutions, religious or missionary. The government will pay for the enrollment of the 20% attending private schools and yearly public school registration fees of $2.50 - $5.00 per student have been waived.

It was announced on Wednesday that a deal was brokered between the presidency and executives of the Dignite school bus transportation company to allow children to ride to and from school for free.

Students that have missed years of education will be put into accelerated programs that will allow them, by the age of 12, to be at the appropriate level.

Challenges of the Education Plan

The newspaper, Le Nouvelliste, did take care to mention that no new schools were built or new teachers hired for the president's education program. This only adds to unfavorable statistics that show:

- out of 570 communal sections throughout the country, 143 of them do not have a state school,

- less than 40% of private schools are accredited, - about 75% of teachers lack adequate training or education themselves; many having attained an equivalent 9th grade or 12th grade education,

- only 15% of teachers at the primary level have basic qualifications,

- although the state is waiving the $2.50-$5.00 annual cost of education, a 2006 estimate found that the cost for one child is $131[US] per year (uniform, books/materials and transportation)

Background

President Michel Martelly set his goal to make compulsory and public education a reality in Haiti for every child. Through a plan of adding taxes on international calls and money transfers, the presidency hoped to gain amounts of $8.5 million per month.

The taxes became effective in June but by the end of August the presidency announced having only accumulated $4 million [US] for education which included a $1.25 million [US] donation from former U.S. President, Bill Clinton.

Classes were scheduled to begin in September but postponed for a month to prepare for the president's program. The 2011 to 2012 school year begins October 3.