Against the backdrop of a Haitian education system dominated by private institutions, national education authorities have kicked off a major digital transformation effort to modernize the private school accreditation process, holding a hands-on technical workshop last week in Pétion-ville to roll out new web-based tools.
Organized by the Directorate for the Accreditation of Private Schools and Partnerships (DAEPP), a division of Haiti’s Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (MENFP), the workshop brought together technical staff from across the ministry’s central directorates, specialized units, and departmental education offices (DDEs). The interactive event was structured around practical, participatory training to introduce, test, and launch three new digital modules that correspond to the full lifecycle of private school accreditation: initial authorization to open a new institution, renewal of an operating permit, and issuance of the final accreditation certificate.
Addressing attendees on behalf of MENFP Director General Osny Jean Marie, Professor Cénatus Pierre, coordinator of the ministry’s General Directorate, underscored the urgent need for this digital overhaul. He noted that Haiti’s education ecosystem serves more than 4 million students across roughly 18,000 schools, and non-public institutions make up the majority of this landscape. As such, formal recognition and consistent regulation of private schools are core to building a well-governed, effective national education system.
Pierre emphasized that digitizing administrative and technical accreditation procedures is a critical step toward upgrading public services, making them more accessible, transparent, and consistent for school operators and education stakeholders across the country. He also thanked the cross-functional teams that developed the new digital tools, as well as international partners that provided critical technical and financial support for the initiative, including the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the World Bank (WB).
Following the opening remarks, Walex Pierre, Director of DAEPP and General Coordinator of the MENFP Support Division, outlined the ministry’s clear roadmap for full implementation of the new system. He confirmed that rolling out digital accreditation tools is a top strategic priority for the administration, with two key milestones set: by June 2027, the ministry aims to generate and issue electronic operating permits to 90% of all schools registered in the national Education Management Information System (EMIS), with full deployment of the end-to-end digital accreditation system scheduled for completion by June 2028.
Beyond rolling out new technology, the workshop served as a critical feedback opportunity: participating ministry staff gained hands-on familiarity with the platform’s new features, and shared on-the-ground input and recommendations to refine the system before full national rollout. The initiative is designed to replace outdated, paper-based accreditation workflows with a streamlined digital process that will cut red tape, reduce administrative delays, and eliminate gaps in oversight that have long hampered Haiti’s education governance.