Education: Trainee Teachers Denounce MENFP's Inaction and Demand Their Appointments

PORT-AU-PRINCE.— In an open letter addressed to the Minister of National Education and Vocational Training, Augustin Antoine, the Collective of Trainee Teachers from several public institutions (FDSE, ENS, IERAH, FLA, ENGA, CFEF, ENARTS) raises the alarm about the situation of 760 teachers awaiting appointment for over two years, despite a memorandum of understanding, signed and published in the official gazette Le Moniteur. The signatories denounce a politicization of appointments within the Haitian education system, believing that many positions are allocated to political relatives or allies, to the detriment of duly trained teachers who have met all ministerial requirements. “We cannot accept that an already weakened education system continues to deteriorate due to the non-fulfillment of commitments made by the ministry,” the letter states, recalling that the 2013 agreement between the MENFP and the ENS, as well as the 12 measures of 2014, stipulated an appointment with at least two teaching assignments or a full-time position for each trainee who completed their training. The letter also refers to the tragic death of Wanderson Zamy, a 19-year-old, shot by a ministry security agent while teachers were peacefully demonstrating to demand their rights. For the teachers, this event is symptomatic of the growing tension between the State and a trained but neglected youth. They directly question Minister Antoine on the feasibility of the announced reforms, particularly in the ministerial note of August 7, 2025: development of preschool education, curriculum reform, promotion of technological education, and introduction of new disciplines. “How can these reforms succeed if the teachers responsible for implementing them are abandoned without appointment?” the collective asks. The name of Gregory Saint-Hilaire, a trainee and symbol of this struggle, is also mentioned. He embodies, according to them, a generation of committed teachers who believe in a different kind of school: a critical, inclusive school, capable of preparing young people to face the challenges of the 21st century. In conclusion, the collective demands :

1. The fulfillment of commitments made by the ministry to trainee teachers, with a minimum of two teaching assignments or a full-time position;
2. An end to the politicization of appointments in the education system;
3. Concrete proof that ministerial speeches on educational reform are not merely empty declarations.

Finally, they call on the minister to make a clear choice: “Protect political interests or contribute to the construction of a solid education system for future generations.”