Friday at the central office of the Ministry of National Education, Édouard Beigbeder, UNICEF Representative, symbolically handed over during a ceremony the key of 15 new schools. Nesmy Manigat, the Minister of Education, welcomed the cooperation with UNICEF, which provided coordination of the construction project and that of Belgium, who funded the construction of these schools to the tune of $6 million in total, which will benefit nearly 5,000 children under the Universal Schooling Program, Free and Compulsory (PSUGO).

Built according to the standards of the Ministryin terms of engineering school and having access for disabled persons, these schools are part of a project launched in the aftermath of the January 12 earthquake in support of the education sector. It was to support the Haitian government in its quest for universal education, hence the choice to build schools in remote areas that do not yet public school infrastructure.

Of these 15 schools, 7 are located in the North and 8 in the South. They each have 6 classrooms for the first two cycles of basic education, an office for the Director, a staff room, a repository for educational materials, a toilet block,a dining room and a playground.

The UNICEF Representative stressed that these structures show "we are able to demonstrate that it is possible to reach the most vulnerable and offer them the education to which they are entitled." He took the opportunity to commend the efforts of the government for the various measures and actions taken recently in the area of education, which testify, according to him "a real desire to make significant changes in the Haitian education system and especially make of the quality of teaching and learning his hobbyhorse."

The Minister Manigat commended the quality of cooperation with UNICEF, which has been a partner of choice for state action, both for access that the improvement of the quality of education. He took the opportunity to remind all of the actions for sector reform and reiterated the government's determination to work for each child to have a better Haitian school guidance with teachers and principals competent and qualified.

HL/ HaitiLibre