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Education
Lack of educational achievement remains a key obstacle to social and economic development in Haiti, with less than half of Haitian school-aged children enrolled in primary school and an adult literacy rate of just over 50 percent. As more than 600,000 out-of-school Haitian children and youth are either illiterate or functionally illiterate, a generation of Haitians lacks the necessary knowledge and skills to enter the labor force. More than 85 percent of primary schools are privately managed by non-governmental organizations, churches, communities, and for-profit operators, with little to no government oversight and approximately 75 percent of teachers lack adequate training. Annual school expenses account for about 40 percent of income for low-income families, serving as a financial burden for families with children in school. The January 2010 earthquake resulted in damage or destruction to 50 percent of primary and secondary schools, according to the Government of Haiti (GOH).
President Michel Martelly has identified education one of the key priorities of his administration, declaring free, universal education. During the fall of 2011, the GOH began the roll out of a comprehensive plan to get 1.5 million students in school by 2016. The U.S. Government (USG) is committed to improving the governance and quality of basic education in Haiti in support of this priority. USAID is providing technical assistance to the GOH for the development of national education standards for learners, teacher and schools; supporting teacher training to promote early grade reading; and increasing access to non-formal basic education for youth.
- U.S. – Haiti Higher Education Partnership Program: Increase capacity of Haiti’s institutions of higher learning.( For more information, see fact sheet : PDF, 298K)
- Haitian Out-of-School Youth Livelihood Initiative (IDEJEN): Increase number of trained out-of-school youth entering labor market; support GOH in establishing national policies for youth and non-formal basic education. ( For more information, see fact sheet : PDF, 419K)
- Programme Haïtien d’Appui à la Réforme de l’Education (PHARE): Improve access to primary school and enhance the capacity of the Ministry of Education in the post-earthquake context.
( For more information, see fact sheet : PDF, 385K)