Education in Haiti

To address education issues facing the country, the Government of Haiti has made free and universal education a priority. During the fall of 2011, the Government of Haiti’s Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (MENFP) began the rollout of an operational plan to enroll 1.5 million students in school by 2016, and to improve curricula, train teachers, and set standards for schools

Low enrollment: Primary school enrollment is roughly 75 percent – an improvement from earlier years but still low; an average Haitian, 25 years or older, has less than 5 years of schooling. School fees can be prohibitively expensive for low-income families.

Poor literacy rates: A U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) early grade reading assessment revealed that roughly 75 percent of children at the end of first grade and nearly half of students finishing second grade could not read a single word. Half of the adult population is illiterate

Lack of government oversight: Most schools in Haiti receive minimal government oversight and are expensive relative to average earnings. More than 85 percent of primary schools are privately managed by non-governmental organizations (NGOs), churches, communities, and for‐profit operators. 

Shortage of qualified teachers: Half of public sector teachers in Haiti lack basic qualifications and almost 80 percent of teachers have not received any pre‐service training.