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  • MMA team hopeful of strong performance in Colombia

    MMA team hopeful of strong performance in Colombia

    Two young mixed martial arts athletes from Barbados, Kristian Griffith and Liam Russell, are preparing to step into one of the most challenging regional tournaments of their careers this week, as the pair makes their country’s debut at the Global Association of Mixed Martial Arts Pan American Championships in Bogotá, Colombia. Competing in the hotly contested Under-70kg division, Griffith and Russell will go toe-to-toe with elite martial artists from 19 other nations across the Americas, facing a single-elimination bracket that leaves no room for error from their very first match.

    The five-member Barbadian delegation, which also includes head coach Leonid Tkach, assistant coach Odain Jackman and team manager Justin Maloney, touched down in the Colombian capital on Sunday, two days before the official opening of the tournament. The 11-day event will run from Tuesday through September 15, with competitive action kicking off for all divisions this Wednesday.

    In an interview with local Barbadian outlet Barbados TODAY from his team’s base in Bogotá, Tkach emphasized that the single-elimination format of the tournament demands peak performance from the opening bell. “This is an elimination bracket: every fight is do-or-die. Win, and you move on to the next round. Lose, and your tournament is over,” he explained. “That means our athletes can’t afford to hold anything back, even in their very first bout. They have to be ready to hit the ground running at their absolute best.”

    Despite the high stakes and steep competition the pair will face, Tkach expressed confidence in his athletes’ preparation, saying both men have never been in better physical and mental shape ahead of the tournament. “Honestly, they are in the best shape of their lives right now. Both are completely locked in, focused, and genuinely excited to get in there and test their skills against the best in the region,” Tkach said.

    The two fighters have built their training base at the Fight Club located in Barbados’ W Plaza, where they have put in consistent, dedicated work over the past several years to reach this level. Russell, for his part, has maintained a grueling six-day weekly training schedule, while Griffith trains four to five days each week, with all sessions tailored to build the specific strength, technique and endurance needed for elite international competition.

    In the months leading up to the Pan American Championships, Tkach adjusted the training program to focus specifically on the challenges of this event, adding targeted work to boost each athlete’s technical skill and physical strength ahead of their debut. Tkach also acknowledged that this tournament marks a historic milestone for Barbadian mixed martial arts: never before has a team from the Caribbean nation competed at a regional championship of this caliber.

    While the team has set high expectations for the event, entering with the goal of bringing home medals, Tkach noted that the experience itself is a win for the emerging Barbadian MMA program, regardless of the final results. “Our hopes are high, and we are really hoping these two young men can stand on the podium this year. But even if we don’t get medals, they are still going to turn in strong performances and gain invaluable experience,” he said. “This is just the first step for Barbados at this level, it won’t be the last. No matter what the outcome is this time around, we will be bigger, stronger and more prepared when we return to compete next year.”

  • The causes behind the causes

    The causes behind the causes

    By Dr. Ishma Harford, a medical doctor and Commonwealth Scholar pursuing a master’s degree in Health Analysis, Policy and Management

    Public health initiatives designed to address widespread population stress often start with bold, transformative goals. A holistic systems framework makes clear that most drivers of individual stress stem from factors outside a person’s personal control, requiring coordinated, society-wide solutions to resolve. These structural contributors range from systemic poverty and unequal access to life-saving medications and care services to deeply ingrained harmful cultural practices, among a host of other upstream issues.

    But what actually plays out in practice tells a different story: broad systemic action is abandoned entirely, and individual patients are left with nothing more than generic advice to improve their personal stress management. Public health discourse opens with robust discussion of overarching root causes, but when care reaches the frontlines, patients are simply told to make “healthier personal choices” to cope with their stress.

    Poverty stands as one of the most well-documented upstream drivers of poor population health. When an individual cannot cover their basic living expenses, they are forced to make impossible trade-offs that put their long-term health at risk: Should they pay to send their child to school, or use what little money they have to see a doctor about persistent, debilitating headaches? While it may be tempting to draw a simple direct line between poverty and avoidance of necessary care, this framing is a damaging over-simplification that erases the complex chain of systemic causes.

    To understand why low-income people forgo care, we must look past individual choice. This person chooses to prioritize their child’s education over investigating their own health symptoms because that is their only viable option when resources are stretched too thin. But why do they lack sufficient financial resources in the first place? If they are self-employed, it may be that their business is experiencing a prolonged slump. If they work as a local vendor serving the tourism industry, that slump could stem from an unexpectedly quiet tourist season that is entirely outside of their control. This chain of causation stretches on, with each link connected to broader structural conditions that one person cannot fix alone.

    Leading public health researcher Michael Marmot famously termed these interconnected systemic triggers “the causes behind the causes.” Public health even has formal analytical frameworks, such as root-cause analysis, designed to trace how these systemic factors ripple out to harm individual health outcomes.

    The harsh reality is that telling a patient to manage their own stress is far simpler and cheaper than addressing the structural issues that created that stress in the first place – like boosting a struggling local tourism economy to lift vendor incomes. A weak tourism season does not just harm one worker, either: a single systemic gap can leave hundreds of Grenadians dealing with unmanageable chronic stress.

    This gap between ambition and practice – where public health policy is meant to resolve deep-rooted systemic issues, but ultimately shifts responsibility for those problems onto the individuals they harm – is a well-documented phenomenon called lifestyle drift.

    Lifestyle drift is a quiet, easily overlooked failure of public health systems. Asking vulnerable people to cope with harmful conditions is always cheaper and politically easier than repairing the systemic conditions, such as poverty, that erode well-being and cause chronic stress. But ease does not equal effectiveness. When we shift a societal problem onto the shoulders of the individual people it harms most, we do not actually solve the problem – we just pass it down the chain, onto the shoulders of the most vulnerable members of our communities.

    Acknowledging this failure is a hard truth to accept. Many of these deep upstream problems cannot be resolved by public health authorities alone. A nation’s Ministry of Health cannot single-handedly end systemic poverty. Meaningful progress requires massive cross-sector collaboration between ministries of finance, all levels of government, and civil society across the entire country. Finding solutions requires making difficult, unpopular political decisions that carry short-term costs. But that does not mean we can avoid doing the work.

    So the next time you receive generic advice to just “manage your stress better,” it is worth asking the harder, more important questions: Are the causes of my stress actually fully within my personal control? And who is addressing the causes behind the causes?

    This article is part of *The Health Imperative*, a non-partisan educational column focused on health, health systems, and their broader societal impacts. NOW Grenada holds no responsibility for the opinions and statements shared by contributing writers. To report potential abusive content, please use the official reporting channel on the outlet’s website.

  • National Forum on the Modernization and Consolidation of the Pension System in Haiti

    National Forum on the Modernization and Consolidation of the Pension System in Haiti

    Haiti’s National Old-Age Insurance Office (ONA) has formally announced an upcoming three-day national forum dedicated to overhauling and strengthening the country’s general pension system, scheduled to run September 16 through 18, 2026 at Port-au-Prince’s Karibe Convention Center.

    Against a backdrop of persistent structural economic and social challenges, the gathering will convene a diverse cross-section of stakeholders, including leading local and international policy experts, social partnership representatives, private sector leaders, labor union delegates, and senior public institution officials. The core mission of the event is to drive collaborative, evidence-based reflection on the systemic changes needed to align Haiti’s pension framework with the country’s evolving economic, social, and demographic realities.

    Haiti’s current pension system faces a cascade of pressing pressures: shifting dynamics in the national labor market, an oversize informal employment sector that leaves most workers without coverage, widespread income instability, and growing strains from demographic change. In response, ONA has organized the forum to create an open, inclusive space for dialogue and consultation focused on laying the groundwork for a retirement system that is more accessible, fair, and financially viable over the long term.

    A key feature of the discussions will be the inclusion of actionable insights and case studies from peer nations across Latin America and the Caribbean. By centering the lessons learned from regional pension reform efforts, participants will work to identify evidence-based best practices that can be adapted to fit Haiti’s unique economic, social, and institutional context, rather than adopting one-size-fits-all policies ill-suited to local needs.

    Key agenda items for the forum include expanding overall social security coverage across the population, designing pathways for the gradual integration of workers in the informal sector into the formal pension system, shoring up the long-term financial sustainability of the system, upgrading the quality of services delivered to beneficiaries, modernizing outdated administrative and management systems, and establishing clear mechanisms to rebuild public trust in the national pension program.

    In a statement accompanying the forum announcement, Lovely François, Director General of ONA, framed pension reform as an intergenerational responsibility rather than just a short-term policy priority. “Retirement should not be viewed solely as a benefit to be guaranteed today. It represents a commitment of solidarity to present and future generations,” François said. “Through this Forum, we want to foster a responsible, open, and constructive national dialogue, capable of generating concrete guidelines for gradually building a more modern, inclusive, equitable, and sustainable pension system, adapted to the realities of our country.”

    Following the conclusion of the three-day event, ONA will synthesize discussions and input from all participating stakeholders to develop a set of concrete policy guidelines and actionable recommendations. These outputs will be used to inform future legislative and administrative discussions and decisions focused on strengthening the overall pension system and expanding social protection coverage for all insured Haitian workers.

  • PM Warns Untimely Industrial Demands Could Destabilise Antigua and Barbuda

    PM Warns Untimely Industrial Demands Could Destabilise Antigua and Barbuda

    As Antigua and Barbuda navigates mounting turbulence in the global economy, Prime Minister Gaston Browne has issued a stark warning that unplanned industrial action and ill-timed stakeholder demands threaten to undermine the nation’s economic and social stability. His remarks came in direct response to recent pushback from gas station dealers and other fuel industry businesses, who have pushed for adjustments to raise their current profit margins.

    The dispute recently led multiple fuel service stations to temporarily cease operations, before industry representatives agreed to sit down for negotiations with the prime minister. During these talks, dealers outlined a host of growing cost pressures that have eroded their bottom lines, including rising credit card processing fees and steadily increasing labor costs across the sector.
    Browne has conceded that many of the grievances put forward by fuel dealers carry legitimate weight. But he pushed back firmly on the timing of their demands, pointing to the aggressive measures the Antigua and Barbuda government has already implemented to cushion fuel consumers and industry operators from global price volatility. The administration has already scrapped a 15% consumption tax on fuel and allocated millions of dollars in public spending to keep domestic petroleum prices subsidized.

    To address the industry’s long-term concerns, a cross-stakeholder committee made up of fuel wholesalers and retailers has been convened to conduct a full review of the sector’s current pricing and profit margin structure. According to Browne, the core goal of this review is to craft a balanced, fair framework that will gradually bring industry operators to an equitable, mutually acceptable parity on profit levels.

    Speaking during an appearance on the Browne and Browne Show, the prime minister emphasized that preserving national stability is the country’s top priority amid ongoing global volatility. He argued that resolving industry disputes through collaborative consultation, rather than disruptive work stoppages, is the only way to eliminate unnecessary friction and protect domestic economic momentum.
    Browne went on to appeal to all segments of national life — ordinary citizens, organized labor, and private businesses — to refrain from any actions that could spark new domestic instability, at a time when the country remains highly vulnerable to external economic shocks and geopolitical unrest. “There will always be irritants; there will always be issues, but that doesn’t mean you must throw out the baby with the bathwater and destabilise the society,” he noted.
    He reiterated that even a fundamentally reasonable demand can become problematic if pushed forward at the wrong moment. “If you’re going to add to that global instability by also having a lot of industrial action and making unreasonable demands — or untimely demands, because a demand could be reasonable but untimely — all you’re going to do is destabilise the country,” Browne added.

  • Govt assesses rebuilding options after Chapman Lane fire

    Govt assesses rebuilding options after Chapman Lane fire

    A week after a devastating blaze tore through residential structures in Barbados’ Chapman Lane, government officials confirmed on Monday that formal assessments are now underway to explore viable pathways for reconstructing the destroyed homes, months after the incident left multiple households displaced and stripped of all personal possessions. The affected families have already been relocated to temporary emergency housing arranged by state agencies. Leading the on-site inspection were Senator Shane Archer, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office, and Michael Lashley, Member of Parliament for the City of Bridgetown. They were joined by senior leadership from the Rural and Urban Development Commission (RUDC), the government body tasked with housing and community infrastructure development. The primary goals of the visit were to conduct a full survey of the fire-ravaged properties and verify which residents hold formal land titles — a critical prerequisite to advancing official rebuilding efforts. Standing amid charred debris and rubble that still litters the Chapman Lane neighborhood, Archer told reporters that the scope of the disaster has left the community in an extremely vulnerable position. “We observed that they lost everything…they have lost everything, so it is a very dire situation at this point,” Archer said. He went on to explain that the inter-agency visit was designed to map out what role the RUDC can play in supporting affected families to rebuild their homes and get their lives back to normal after the disaster. “We’re here to help,” he emphasized, adding that Lashley had been present in the community working directly with residents since the night the fire broke out. Lashley confirmed that all displaced residents have already been moved into appropriate temporary accommodation, with basic essential supplies provided through the government’s network of social services. “Those who were affected by the fire…they have been placed in alternate housing. The families are comfortable at this stage,” he said. With the immediate emergency response successfully completed, Lashley noted that the entire focus of stakeholders is now shifting to long-term recovery: reconstructing the lost homes and helping the damaged community return to its normal function. “So we just need to work hard now and work quickly with the ministry,” Lashley said. “We have now to get the community involved, working along with the state, working along with rural, working along with the urban officials.” The Bridgetown MP commended the rapid action of government social agencies, highlighting that displaced residents were placed in safe alternative housing just hours after the fire was contained. Looking ahead, Lashley stressed that local community-led fundraising will be a critical complement to government support, to help speed up recovery and help families regain long-term stability. “So now we need to work on the community level in terms of fundraising activities, to get those funds so that we can assist the government and get this matter resolved and get the families back into a place of comfort,” he added.

  • Major Landowners to Be Encouraged to Develop Agriculture and Investment Projects

    Major Landowners to Be Encouraged to Develop Agriculture and Investment Projects

    In a bold push to revitalize the agricultural sector and unlock underutilized land resources, policymakers have announced a suite of targeted measures designed to encourage major landowners to pursue large-scale agricultural development and strategic investment projects.

    For years, vast tracts of privately held large land parcels across many regions have remained either undercultivated or repurposed for non-productive uses, creating a bottleneck for national food security efforts and rural economic growth. Officials behind the new initiative argue that engaging the country’s largest landholders is a critical untapped opportunity to boost domestic agricultural output, create rural jobs, and attract fresh capital into the sector.

    The incentive package includes a range of financial and regulatory breaks: reduced property tax rates for land converted to commercial agricultural production, low-interest loans for infrastructure upgrades like irrigation systems and storage facilities, streamlined permitting processes for agribusiness investment projects, and tax credits for partnerships between large landowners and small-scale local farmers. Officials also note that the policy will prioritize projects focused on sustainable farming practices and climate-resilient crop production, aligning agricultural growth with national carbon neutrality goals.

    Industry analysts say the policy addresses a long-standing structural issue in the agricultural market, where fragmented land ownership and disincentives for large-scale investment have held back productivity gains. Early responses from major landowner associations have been cautiously optimistic, with many leaders indicating they are reviewing the details of the incentive package to assess potential project returns. Rural development advocates have welcomed the move, noting that increased agricultural investment will likely drive growth in related local industries, from transportation and food processing to rural retail, lifting incomes for communities across the countryside.

    Policymakers project that if successful, the initiative could bring millions of additional acres of land into productive agricultural use over the next five years, increase domestic food production by up to 15% in key grain categories, and attract billions in new private investment to the agricultural sector. The rollout of the incentive programs is set to begin in the third quarter of this year, with regional authorities tasked with implementing the framework and supporting landowners through the application process.

  • FLASH : NATCOM launches a 5G pilot phase in Haiti

    FLASH : NATCOM launches a 5G pilot phase in Haiti

    In a landmark step for Haiti’s digital transformation, National Telecom (NATCOM) officially launched the pilot phase of 5G technology in the Caribbean nation on Monday, September 7, 2026. The launch event, held at Port-au-Prince’s Karibe Hotel, doubled as a celebration of NATCOM’s 15 years of operations in Haiti, and drew a diverse cross-section of attendees from across public and private spheres.

    Marked under the banner “Leading for Better”, the ceremony welcomed senior Haitian government officials, representatives from local public and private sector organizations, international development partners, and leadership delegations from both NATCOM and the Vietnamese Viettel Group, which holds a 60% controlling stake in the Haitian telecom provider.

    In his keynote address at the event, Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé spotlighted NATCOM’s longstanding strategic role in advancing the country’s digital infrastructure modernization, expanding telecommunications access nationwide, and driving greater financial inclusion for underserved communities. He also underscored the deep value of bilateral cooperation between Haiti and Vietnam, and reaffirmed the Haitian government’s unwavering commitment to fostering technological innovation, advancing universal digital inclusion, and attracting targeted investment to upgrade the country’s core tech infrastructure.

    While NATCOM has not yet released an official public list of neighborhoods included in the initial 5G pilot, existing deployment and network coverage data confirms that the first 5G signals are concentrated in high-priority strategic and commercial zones across Haiti’s Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. These initial coverage zones include core business and hospitality districts in Pétion-ville, key administrative corridors and central arteries in downtown Port-au-Prince, and dense mixed-use economic and residential neighborhoods such as Delmas 73 in Delmas.

    As an exploratory pilot phase, the primary goal of this initial rollout is to gather real-world data on 5G technical performance across Haitian terrain, including network stability, signal penetration in dense urban environments, and consumer accessibility. NATCOM plans to use insights from the pilot to refine its network design before expanding 5G coverage to other provincial cities across the country.

  • CPL ticket sales gain momentum

    CPL ticket sales gain momentum

    The 2024 Republic Bank Caribbean Premier League (CPL) is seeing extraordinary demand for match tickets at Bridgetown’s iconic Kensington Oval, where Barbados will play host to a critical stretch of the tournament including the highly anticipated playoffs and championship decider. Christine Charles, Chief Marketing Officer of the CPL, shared details of the overwhelming public interest in an interview with Barbados TODAY, noting that the event has generated unprecedented excitement among local and visiting cricket fans alike.

    Charles explained that the intense enthusiasm stems from Barbados being selected to host the tournament’s final knockout stages, giving local supporters double the action to cheer on compared to typical tournament editions. “Barbadians have really thrown their support behind this year’s event, and the energy across the island is palpable,” she said. “Having the playoffs and final right here at Kensington Oval means more cricket, more excitement, and more reason for fans to get invested.”

    In addition to the men’s tournament, Kensington Oval will also serve as the home venue for the Women’s Caribbean Premier League (WCPL), where the Barbados Tridents enter the competition as three-time defending champions. Charles highlighted that the women’s competition has already drawn strong crowds, and she urged even more spectators to turn out to support the athletes. “The women’s game has been incredible to watch this year, and they’ve already gotten great support from fans on the ground,” Charles noted. “But every cheer makes a difference. This is going to be a hard-fought battle for the title, and they deserve every bit of the crowd’s backing.”

    Beyond the on-field action, Charles emphasized that the dual CPL and WCPL tournaments are set to deliver a substantial economic boost to Barbados, though she declined to share specific financial projections. She pointed to three key areas of economic benefit: increased local job opportunities tied to the tournament, full hotel occupancy from visiting fans, and a welcome uptick in tourism arrivals at a traditionally slow period on the island’s calendar.

    “Right now we’re in the lull just after the annual Crop Over festival, so this event could not have come at a better time to keep visitor numbers up,” Charles explained. “We’re actively encouraging cricket and sports fans from across the Caribbean and around the globe to make the trip to Barbados for the tournament. It’s a beautiful island with so much to offer, and this is the perfect time to experience it.”

    The men’s CPL final is scheduled to take place on September 20, and organizers have added a new high-profile attraction to the lead-up of the championship match: the “Live and Louder” mega concert, set for September 19 at Barbados’ Botanical Gardens. Charles explained that the concert was developed to expand the fan experience beyond cricket, leaning into the CPL’s long-standing reputation as “the greatest party in sport.”

    “Every day, we have hundreds of fans coming through to buy match tickets, and we wanted to give them even more to look forward to,” Charles said. “The Live and Louder mega concert will bring that unbeatable big-party atmosphere that the CPL is known for, giving music lovers and sports fans alike a full weekend of energy and fun.”

    The concert boasts a star-studded lineup of international and regional talent, headlined by dancehall icon Movado. Additional confirmed acts include British R&B singer Estelle, Jamaican dancehall star Mr Vegas, and Caribbean music favorite Chris Martin, with more surprise guests set to be announced ahead of the event. Tickets for both the concert and tournament matches are available for purchase now at the dedicated ticket booth located outside Kensington Oval.

    Organizers have dubbed the back-to-back match and concert weekend the “CPL Mega Weekend,” built to deliver nonstop energy for attendees from opening pitch to closing encore. “We built this weekend for everyone who loves great sport, great music, and great vibes,” Charles added. “We want everyone to come out on September 19 and be part of what’s set to be an unforgettable experience.”

  • Wesley Hall pupils sent home amid paving delays, sewer leak

    Wesley Hall pupils sent home amid paving delays, sewer leak

    The first day of the 2025 academic term at one of the nation’s most historic primary institutions got off to an unexpected start, as Wesley Hall Junior School dismissed all students and staff just hours after the morning bell, sending the entire school community home early over unresolved construction hazards. The abrupt shutdown stemmed from two overlapping issues: a contractor delay on critical campus paving works and an emergency unplanned underground sewer line repair that pushed back the entire renovation timeline, leaving large swathes of the campus riddled with air-borne dust and unsafe, unpaved surfaces.

    The sweeping full-campus renovation project at Wesley Hall Junior School, which first broke ground in September of last year, was launched to address long-standing structural decay in the school’s iconic two-story main building. Over the 12-month construction period, work crews have completely gutted and reconstructed the aging structure, converted underused empty spaces into new modern learning facilities, and ended the decades-long practice of holding regular scheduled classes in the school’s main assembly hall. The project’s core goal is to deliver a vastly upgraded learning and working environment for both students and teaching staff, with improvements including fully renovated staff housing, a repositioned modern principal’s office at the main entrance, and restored dedicated space for assemblies and school events in the main hall as originally designed.

    According to Kim Belle, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education Transformation, the timeline disruption began when construction crews conducting pre-paving groundwork discovered a broken sewer line running directly beneath the school’s main entrance driveway and rear parking lot. Project leaders made the call to prioritize repairing the damaged line before laying asphalt to avoid the need for costly, disruptive digging after paving was complete. The contractor had given a formal commitment to finish all paving work over the final weekend before term began, but the unplanned sewer repair pushed that deadline past the start of school.

    By the time education officials conducted an on-site inspection on the first morning of term, large sections of the entrance, driveway and parking lot remained covered in exposed dirt and loose construction aggregate. With loose material expected to be kicked up by vehicle traffic and wind, creating significant hazardous dust conditions across the campus, officials made the decision to send students and staff home immediately to complete the outstanding works. Belle added that beyond the unfinished paving, final post-construction quality checks, widely referred to in the construction industry as “snagging”, were still incomplete in multiple indoor areas of the renovated campus.

    In the hours following the early dismissal, ministry officials ordered the contractor to move all heavy equipment back onto the empty campus immediately to finish paving while the site was clear. Project lead Mr De Freitas has given a formal commitment that all outstanding works, including both paving and internal snagging, will be fully completed by the end of Tuesday. Officials also noted that the revised campus layout, which added multiple new classrooms, caused minor confusion for returning students who were unable to find their reallocated rooms on the first morning, a temporary issue that will be resolved once the construction wraps up.

    Despite the messy opening-day disruption, Belle shared that most parents who visited the campus on the first morning expressed overwhelming satisfaction with the scale of upgrades delivered by the renovation project. Many of the visiting parents were alumni of the school, who could directly compare the renovated facility to the dilapidated campus they attended, and praised the improvements to learning spaces. Ministry officials confirmed that regular classes are currently scheduled to resume on Wednesday morning, barring any further unexpected delays from the contractor.

  • Education : 2026-2027 School Year

    Education : 2026-2027 School Year

    On September 7, 2026, Haiti kicked off its 2026-2027 academic year with an official launch ceremony hosted at Horatius Laventure High School, located in the Delmas 75 district. Standing at the forefront of the event was National Education Minister Vijonet Déméro, who unveiled the year’s core guiding theme: *Yon lekòl pou tout moun*, translated as “One School for Everyone”. This thematic framework anchors the new school year in the foundational values of inclusive access, non-discrimination, and equal educational opportunity, with a central policy goal of guaranteeing quality education access for every child across the country.

    In his opening address, Minister Déméro extended warm wishes for success and peace to all members of Haiti’s national education community, from students and educators to families and institutional partners. Directing his remarks to students, he encouraged the next generation to embrace new discoveries, prioritize consistent learning, and pursue personal growth throughout the year, noting that young Haitians are the backbone of the nation’s future. For teachers and school principals, he extended sincere gratitude for their unwavering dedication to knowledge transmission and youth mentorship, recognizing their irreplaceable role in shaping the country’s upcoming generations. He also commended parents for their persistent courage, daily sacrifices, and critical partnership in supporting children’s educational journeys, and thanked national and international partners—including multilateral organizations, education unions, and civil society groups—for their ongoing collaboration to turn the year’s inclusive vision into tangible change.

    Minister Déméro emphasized a core policy priority for the 2026-2027 year: reframing national education systems to center students and their learning needs above all else. He reaffirmed the Haitian government’s full commitment to strengthening the national education sector through a suite of targeted interventions. These key actions include filling vacant teaching positions through new appointments, distributing free textbooks and school uniforms to students in need, expanding the national Education Cash Transfer program to deliver direct financial support to low-income families, upgrading infrastructure to improve overall learning conditions, expanding access to digital educational technology, and scaling up academic and career guidance services to help students plan for their futures.

    International development partners joined the government in reaffirming their long-term commitment to advancing education in Haiti. Geetanjali Narayan, the UNICEF Representative in Haiti, outlined a series of planned support measures focused on maintaining uninterrupted education access across crisis-affected regions, supporting children displaced by ongoing instability, strengthening child protection frameworks in schools, and guaranteeing the physical and mental well-being of all students. Lauren Landis, Representative of the World Food Programme (WFP), echoed this commitment, highlighting the transformative role of school meal programs as a catalyst for social protection, improved academic outcomes, and local economic development. WFP’s key ongoing initiative focuses on increasing the share of local agricultural products sourced for school canteens, creating a dual benefit that supports smallholder farmers while improving the nutritional quality of meals for students.

    Beyond the central launch event in Delmas 75, coordinated back-to-school opening ceremonies were held at all 10 of Haiti’s Departmental Directorates of Education, marking a unified national kickoff to the 2026-2027 academic year.