Haitian teacher unionists eager to rebuild education sector
Although their schools have collapsed and their homes are destroyed, the leaders of the Confédération Nationale des Educateurs d’Haïti are already working with the Haitian president and education minister on the complex task of starting up classes, getting children back into school, and rebuilding an education system that was struggling to achieve quality long before the earthquake hit.
Jean Lavaud, General Secretary of EI’s affiliate the CNEH, met with President René Préval and Education Minister Joel Jean-Pierre earlier this week to plan for rebuilding an education sector reeling from the earthquake that claimed the lives of many teachers and students, and is estimated to have damaged more than 15,000 schools.
While they continue to struggle to return schooling to a semblance of normalcy, leaders of the CNEH report they are still sleeping in the open with only makeshift tents fashioned from blankets as shelter. Even their most basic belongings are buried under the rubble of their lost homes. Access to food and water is an ongoing challenge and clean water is one of the most sought-after commodities in Port-au-Prince. To effectively support their members to return to teaching and to work towards the wider rehabilitation of education in Haiti, the CNEH urgently requires assistance to repair its shattered structures. Please show your support for Haitian teachers and help the Haitian education sector by contributing to the EI Solidarity Fund. Donations for Haiti can be transferred to the following account:
Education International “Fonds de Solidarité” ING Bank Rue du Trône, 14-16 1000 Brussels Account number: 310-1006170-75 IBAN: BE05 3101 0061 7075 SWIFT OR BIC CODE: BBRUBEBB
