The Port-à-Piment Millennium Village: Structure and Scope(Part 3)

Education

(Source:http://www.haitiregeneration.org/mvp_scope.)

Port-à-Piment has approximately 38 registered schools in the watershed, mostly private elementary schools. The single secondary school in the watershed does not offer the final two years of the required curriculum, forcing students to leave their homes and head to urban cities to finish school and receive their diplomas.

Despite a large number of schools, the education system is in need of serious improvement, particularly with regard to the quality of learning, as well as the quantity of students who satisfactorily complete primary and secondary education. National estimates in 2005 show that literacy rates remain at 66% for ages 22-29, which while higher than previous generations is still insufficient.

The public school system in Haiti does not have sufficient government funding and support. As a result, most schools are operated privately, resulting in a scenario where user fees and other costs are prohibitive for the vast majority of children in the rural communities. With the lack of public sector support for the education sector, many teachers are not adequately trained or prepared to teach. Those that do teach are often not paid in a timely manner for their work.

Strategies to Achieve MDG 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education

The principal goals within the education sector are to ensure full primary school attendance and to improve the quality of education offered throughout the watershed. The focus will be on improving school facilities, conducting capacity building activities for teachers, and strengthening the curriculum. Basic literacy tests will also be conducted at every grade level within the watershed to evaluate and ensure that each student is being taught the necessary skills and is receiving the quality of education they deserve.

One specific intervention will be to improve and increase the already existing school meals programs. The proposed program is innovative as it simultaneously helps reduce malnutrition and increase school attendance while reducing wood consumption through improved cookstoves and encouraging use of locally grown food.