On Wednesday, October 1st, the grand official back-to-school ceremony for the 2025-2026 academic year took place in the first municipal section of Haut-Les Perches, in the Northeast.

In addition, the Secretary of State for Literacy and Non-Formal Education, the Director General of the National Institute of Vocational Training (INFP), the Director General of the Anti-Corruption Unit (ULCC), the General Coordinator of the National School Canteen Program (PNCS), departmental, municipal, and local authorities, senior officials from the Ministry of National Education, and prominent figures in international cooperation participated in this activity : Geeta Narayan, UNICEF Representative; Wanja Kaaria-Ndoho, World Food Program (WFP) Representative; Eric Voli Bi, UNESCO Representative; and Antoine Michon, French Ambassador to Haiti.

"Restoring the Authority of Schools" is the theme for the new academic year. It involves a whole series of initiatives that the Ministry intends to expand and strengthen over the next nine months, stated Minister Augustin Antoine.

These initiatives include : promoting the teaching profession, monitoring school activities, strengthening sector governance and, above all, the quality of education offered, improving the external effectiveness of the education system, eliminating the multi-tiered school system, and mobilizing communities around schools.

As part of preparations for the start of the school year, the MENFP (Minister of Education and Training) Minister recalled some major measures taken by the Government, following approval by the Presidential Transitional Council. He noted, in particular, the distribution of more than 300,000 school kits, 2.2 million copies of the single book, 320,000 sets of uniforms, and several thousand benches, primarily in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area, where schools were looted and burned by armed groups.

Government action includes the rehabilitation of 117 schools nationwide. https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-45643-haiti-grand-nord-grant-of-nearly-150-million-to-58-schools.html and https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-45584-haiti-grand-south-more-than-160-million-for-rehabilitation-work-on-57-schools.html and the deployment of the Cash Transfer Education program targeting more than 200,000 parents of students in national, presbyterian, community, and municipal schools.

"These initiatives represent an investment of more than 7.5 billion gourdes, and this is just the beginning, as other actions are in preparation to provide every Haitian child with a dignified and safe school environment," stated the Minister, who elaborated on other points relating to preschool education, school canteens, and dialogue with unions. of teachers with the aim of continuing to work for the benefit of all students.

"WFP welcomes the strong commitment of the Government of Haiti to making school feeding an important pillar in the fight against food insecurity and malnutrition, strengthening community resilience, and a catalyst for socioeconomic development, particularly through the scaling up of school canteens based on local purchases. Indeed, the ambitious goal of reaching 1.5 million schoolchildren, beneficiaries of the school canteen program starting in 2025 and 100% local purchases by 2030, as mentioned in the 2024-2030 National Action Plan (PNAS), demonstrates the national priority given to school feeding," said Wanja Kaaria-Ndoho, WFP Resident Representative in Haiti, recalled WFP's contribution to school canteens last year, which was around US$23 million, invested in the acquisition of 12,000 tons of food products, 72% of which were local products purchased from 32,000 small farmers.

"The ambitious goal of reaching 1.5 million schoolchildren, beneficiaries of the school canteen program by 2025, and 100% of local purchases by 2030, as mentioned in the National Health Adaptation Plan (PNAS 2024-2030), demonstrates the national priority given to school feeding," said Eric Voli Bi, UNESCO Representative in Haiti, "The authority of the school is not force. It is confidence in its ability to offer a future. It is respect for common rules. It is the legitimacy of the teacher in the classroom. Restoring this authority is crucial. This requires supporting teachers, strengthening school management, but above all, clarifying the school's place at the center. of the community, as a place of order and knowledge, protected from external turbulence."

HL/ HaitiLibre