A Regional UCP Office to Improve Education in the Greater North

By: Jean Mapou

CAP-HAITIEN.— Official opening of a new regional Project Coordination Unit office by the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (MENFP) on Monday, April 28. This branch aims to strengthen the management and implementation of educational projects in the four departments of the Greater North and the Central department.

The Minister of Education, Augustin Antoine, personally cut the inaugural ribbon in the presence of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) representative, Corinne Cathala, as well as MENFP officials, school principals, and students. Furthermore, the new UCP marks a strengthening of the partnership between the MENFP and the IDB.

The establishment of this decentralized office illustrates MENFP's commitment to improving the monitoring and technical supervision of projects, particularly those financed by the IDB, such as the Project to Support the Ten-Year Education and Training Plan (PAPDEF), stated Minister Antoine Augustin. According to him, this structure will facilitate the on-site evaluation and supervision of educational initiatives and will save time and increase efficiency.

The Minister praised the IDB's constant support for programs such as PEQH, ACEQH, and the Quality Assurance System (SAQ), which assesses learning conditions in schools. “The SAQ has made it possible to collect data on infrastructure, hygiene, pedagogical leadership, and the school environment in 36 establishments,” Professor Augustin announced.

These evaluations have yielded conclusive results in the area of continuous training for teachers and school principals, the provision of school kits, and the strengthening of canteens, argued the head of the MENFP. “More than 12,500 students receive a hot meal every day,” estimated Antoine Augustin, emphasizing that these results motivated partners to launch PAPDEF in 2022, thereby facilitating the training of nearly 600 teachers and about a hundred school principals.

For her part, Corinne Cathala emphasized the importance of this regional office in strengthening the impact of educational projects, by bringing them closer to local communities. She reaffirmed the IDB's commitment to support Haiti in implementing its educational recovery plan for 2025–2030.

Shoudemilla Surpris, a 6th-grade student, on behalf of the beneficiaries, expressed her gratitude to the MENFP and the IDB for the improvements in the quality of her learning thanks to teacher supervision, the provision of textbooks, and daily meals. She hoped that these actions would also reach children in more remote areas and disadvantaged neighborhoods.