Haiti’s Ministry of National Education Works to Strengthen Pre-School Education
Last week, Haiti’s Ministry of National Educational and Vocational Training held a workshop to create strategies to strengthen pre-school, basic, and secondary education in Haiti. These strategies will implement Information Technology and Communication for Education (ICTE), supported by UNESCO.
The workshop attracted government officials, national and international educational experts, UNESCO officials, and civil society members. At the event, there were a number of panels, including a session entitled, “21st Century Education and Preparation of Human Capital,” which listed a dismal set of statistics:
“There are an estimated 16,080 primary and 3,277 secondary schools in Haiti, of which 85% are non-public and managed by communities, religious organizations, for-profit companies or NGOs. The enrollment rate for primary school is 67%, and fewer than 30% reach 6th grade. Secondary school enrolment is at 20% of eligible-age children. An estimated 70% of primary school teachers have no formal training; 400 new teachers certified each year, versus a need for over 2000 teachers annually.”
Mrs. Irvika Francis, Unit Coordinator of the ICTE, noted that the ICTE had identified three ways of strengthening Haiti’s educational system: information management of the education sector; access to and quality of teaching and learning; and strengthening and increasing involvement of stakeholders in the system. These strategies will hopefully lead to more modern and sustainable educational practices in Haiti.
Creative Commons Love: United Nations Photo on Flickr.com
Written by Aanchal Narang
