Port-au-Prince, Haiti – Haitian education officials and international partners have concluded a landmark three-day workshop establishing comprehensive investment strategies to revolutionize early childhood education nationwide. The gathering marked a pivotal moment in Haiti’s educational development, focusing on implementing findings from the groundbreaking National Preschool Education Survey.
Minister of National Education Augustin Antoine articulated a powerful vision for educational equity, emphasizing that “whether a child comes from wealthy or impoverished circumstances, they must receive identical educational opportunities. We are committed to standardizing the preschool sector and eliminating disparities between urban and rural regions.”
The comprehensive survey data provides unprecedented insights into Haiti’s preschool infrastructure, detailing operational mechanisms, service diversity, cost structures, and systemic challenges. Minister Antoine highlighted the transformative potential of this information, noting it will “drive strategic planning and ground-level interventions to meet population expectations while bringing coherence to educational initiatives.”
UNICEF Representative in Haiti Geetajanli Narayan characterized the collected data as “an invaluable foundation for guiding future policy and strategic decisions.” She emphasized the workshop’s role in evaluating “the most effective public policy options to ensure equitable expansion of public preschools while enhancing quality and sustainability of non-public services.”
Professor Alain Mingat facilitated critical sessions exploring investment scenarios aligned with forthcoming National Preschool Policy priorities. The discussions culminated in a unified call for international cooperation agencies to bolster the Haitian government’s financial commitments to preschool education.
The high-level participation underscored global support for Haiti’s educational transformation, featuring representatives from multiple international agencies including the French Development Agency, Inter-American Development Bank, UNESCO, World Food Programme, and diplomatic corps from France, Taiwan, Mexico, and Spain.