VZCZCXRO0588
RR RUEHQU
DE RUEHPU #1285 2551211
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 111211Z SEP 08
FM AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 8812
INFO RUEATRS/DEPTTREAS WASHDC
RUEHZH/HAITI COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS PORT AU PRINCE 001285 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR WHA/CAR 
STATE PASS TO AID FOR LAC/CAR 
WHA/EPSC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: AEMR ASEC CASC KFLO MARR PREL PINR AMGT EAGR EAID
ETRD, ECON, HA, SOCI 
SUBJECT: Haiti's School Season Delayed by One Month 
 
REF: PORT AU PRINCE 1240 
 
Haiti's School Opening Delay 
----------------------------- 
 
¶1. (U) The education of Haiti's children has become another victim 
of the recent catastrophic hurricane damage, lack of foresight by 
the government, and continuing inflation.  The Ministry of Education 
has failed to make the financial and logistic preparations for the 
reopening of schools this fall.  On September 6, two days before the 
September 8 opening date, the Government of Haiti's (GoH) new 
Minister of National Education and Professional Training (MENFP), 
Joel Deroslers Jean-Pierre, announced that the official school year 
would begin October 6 (Note: The initial school opening date of 
September 1 was pushed back because of Tropical Storm Fay. End 
Note.)  Recent hurricane and tropical storm damage to schools and 
infrastructure generally, the fact that many schools are being used 
to shelter people displaced by recent flooding, lagging production 
and  distribution of textbooks, and the inability of parents to pay 
rising tuition costs are behind the government to delay school 
opening. 
 
¶2. (SBU) The GoH has the legal authority to delay school opening for 
public schools but not private schools.  However, the GoH 
discourages private schools from starting at an earlier date (Note: 
A very small number of private schools have reopened, and most are 
ambivalent on whether to re-open sooner than public schools. End 
Note.)  Approximately 80 percent of Haitian children attend private 
schools (either denominational or secular) that charge varying 
levels of tuition.  Increased prices of fuel and food coupled with 
mass unemployment contribute to parent's inability to pay for school 
fees, uniforms, textbooks, and other school supplies. 
 
Government of Haiti's Next Steps 
--------------------------------- 
 
¶3. (SBU) The Ministry of Education's priority is to get subsidized 
textbooks on the market and into the schools as soon as possible. 
In an August 25 meeting, President Rene Preval brought together 
international donors, textbook publishers and members of his own 
government to gauge the education sector's readiness to launch the 
new school year.  Twelve publishing companies reported on the 
delivery status of their respective textbooks, with several 
reporting that they are still owed payments from the GoH.  The 
government plans to subsidize 1.5 million textbooks by 70 percent; 
the GoH also plans to donate a smaller percentage of textbooks 
directly to schools.  The GoH signed-off 500 million Haitian Gourdes 
(approximately 12.5 million USD) of its FY 2008 budget to subsidize 
and donate textbooks.  Part of Prime Minister Michelle Pierre 
Louis's general policy declaration for her confirmation by the 
legislature was the promise that the GoH would also distribute two 
uniforms to every pupil attending public schools and 150,000 school 
kits to students in primary school. 
 
¶4. (U) The GoH is examining how best to address the one  loss of 
classroom days caused by the one-month delay in the school opening. 
One solution may be to shorten the time off that pupils are given 
for the many holidays Haiti celebrates, such as Carnaval, Easter and 
Christmas, that close schools from one to three weeks.  According to 
a Save the Children study, Haiti has one of the lowest pupil days in 
school per year. 
 
International Donor Involvement 
-------------------------------- 
 
¶5.  (SBU) The U.S. -- through USAID -- is Haiti's largest 
education donor, when one includes the recent surge in USAID's 
school feeding programs to its existing basic education and 
workforce development programs.  USAID's highly anticipated feeding 
program (in conjunction with other implementing partners) will 
nourish over 400,000 students per day once school resumes.  Other 
significant donors include Spain, European Union, World Bank and 
UNICEF. 
 
 
SANDERSON