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Nadege Auguste teaches her daughters at home. Access to education is a huge challenge in Haiti
Nadege Auguste teaches her daughters at home.
© Charles Eckert/ActionAid
28 Mai 2014
Half of primary school aged children cannot access education in Haiti due to a lack of public schools. ActionAid and peasants groups of the Je Nan Je platform, are calling for government action to standardise education policies and uphold the Haitian constitution which should guarantee basic education to every child in the country.
 
The lack of public primary schools in Haiti has given rise to an increase in private schools and multiple curriculums with no visible efforts to regulate and ensure standards are met.

Parents seeking schooling for their children cannot be assured of the quality and relevance of the teaching or of a safe school infrastructure and learning environment.

ActionAid’s Country Director Ifeoma Charles-Monwuba said: “The current education system is an infringement on the rights of the children of Haiti and a disservice to the future of Haiti. Due to the lack of public schools and the very poor quality of those that exist, many parents are forced to seek private education”.

ActionAid and Je nan Je are calling for the government to commit adequate budget to build public schools across the country and to ensure that standards are upheld in public and private schools to guarantee quality education.

“Government action is essential in order to bridge the gap between rich and poor and give Haiti’s next generation the knowledge and tools they need to support the country.”

“The government has the power and the responsibility to regulate quality of education in Haiti to ensure that an acceptable curriculum is developed and used across all schools in Haiti irrespective of whether they are private or public, high or low class, urban or rural areas” said Pierre-Festile DOUDOU Je nan Je Coordinator.

ActionAid and JeNanJe are demanding that the government makes concrete efforts to improve the quality of education in Haiti otherwise there will be no students qualifying for university in the future.
 
For further information, please see ActionAid's blog