Haiti – Back-to-School 2025: Between Worsening Security Crisis and Insufficient State Responses

This article draws on reports from international organizations (UNICEF, Education Cluster, IOM), public data (World Bank, UNESCO), official statements from the Ministry of National Education (MENFP), and testimonies gathered in Port-au-Prince, Carrefour, and Artibonite. PORT-AU-PRINCE. — As the 2025-2026 academic year approaches, education in Haiti reflects a multifaceted national crisis: persistent armed violence, massive population displacement, collapse of public services, and rampant poverty. Between official announcements and realities on the ground, the gap is widening, compromising access to school for hundreds of thousands of children. Indeed, available figures paint an alarming picture. According to UNICEF, 284 schools were destroyed in 2024 following attacks or fires. But the most striking deterioration lies in the number of closed schools: from a few hundred in 2023, they rose to 959 establishments closed at the beginning of 2025, then to over 1,600 by mid-year, according to Education Cluster updates. Each closure deprives dozens, sometimes hundreds, of students of their right to education. Internal displacements, reported by IOM, increase pressure on the few schools still open, especially in rural areas. A Back-to-School Season Almost Unaffordable for Many Parents Haitian households face a double burden: soaring prices and insufficient state support. The cost of a basic school kit (bag, notebooks, uniform, shoes) has significantly increased compared to previous years. “I don’t have the 20,000 gourdes for back-to-school. NGOs sometimes provide notebooks, but it’s not enough,” says Mrs. Mirat, a mother met in Carrefour. This financial pressure is already leading to school dropouts and endangers the schooling of an entire generation. NGOs warn of a massive risk of disengagement in 2025. Furthermore, the Minister of National Education, Antoine Augustin, had recently spoken of the collapse of schooling in Haiti. Schools Transformed into Shelters, Difficult Return to Normalcy Since 2023, many schools have served as shelters for internally displaced persons. In the West and Artibonite, several establishments still require cleaning, rehabilitation, and security measures before reopening. “We cleaned three rooms that served as shelters; the tables are broken, and there are no clean latrines left. How can we accommodate 120 students under these conditions?” testifies a public school principal in downtown Port-au-Prince, speaking anonymously. Insufficient Government Measures, and Limited Impact The MENFP announced a set of measures in September: distribution of school kits, relaunch of canteens, automatic promotion to the first fundamental cycle, and rehabilitation of schools. While these announcements echo those of past back-to-school seasons, their implementation remains uncertain. Several people interviewed state that they have not received any tangible aid on the eve of the school reopening. The coordinator of PROCADEM, an NGO operating in Delmas, believes: “the ministerial measures are a good signal, but as long as security is not guaranteed and distribution remains centralized, many schools will not see their effect.” A Real Ordeal for the Haitian State The 2025 back-to-school season goes beyond mere logistical dimensions. It becomes a barometer of the country's ability to guarantee a fundamental right in times of crisis. Comparative data with previous years show continuous degradation; more schools closed, more displaced children, weakened public and international support. Government measures, though necessary, appear insufficient without strengthened security, effective decentralization of aid, and massive psychosocial support. Otherwise, for tens of thousands of students, this back-to-school season could be a sign of missed hope and an even more compromised future. Jean Mapou