On the occasion of World Teachers Day on October 5, UNESCO organized in Port-au-Prince a Workshop of reflection on the work conditions and training of the teachers.

Jean Coulanges, the permanent secretary of the Haitian National Commission of Co-operation with UNESCO, considered unacceptable the work conditions of the teachers declaring that "education must be at the base of any development program whereas in Haiti, the professors are not treated with respect and can devote themselves with difficulty to their students".

Joshua Mérilien, coordinator of the National Union of Haitian Normale (Union Nationale des Normaliens Haïtiens UNNOH) lamented that thousands of teachers, which the government must wage arrears, must live in tents while tens of thousands of families are experiencing economic insecurity and can not face this school year.

He also criticized Joel Desrosiers, the Minister of Education and his team who "did nothing in preparation for the reopening of classes" while the government spends "millions of dollars to hold rigged elections." Arguing otherwise support the creation of teacher training centers in different regions of the country and an upward revision of salaries of teachers.

He asserts that this situation is abnormal and unacceptable and expressed its intention to hold Friday in Port-au-Prince, a demonstration to pressure the government to finally assume its responsibilities in education.

For its part, Lourdes Edith Joseph, secretary to the formation of the National Confederation of Haitian Educators (Confédération Nationale des Éducateurs Haïtiens CNEH), called on authorities to "redefine the mode of treatment and the role of teachers in the country's reconstruction."

BF / HaitiLibre