Schools in rural areas overwhelmed by influx of students from P-au-P

In addition to overcrowding, which makes learning difficult for these students, they require psychosocial support, which is often non-existent in host schools

Over the past three months, 270,000 people displaced from Port-au-Prince have sought refuge in the South.

These migrations – more than half a million across the country, according to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) – are overwhelming local schools, which now say they can no longer handle the influx.

Despite the arrival of thousands of potential students, the Philippe Guerrier High School of Les Cayes was only able to accept 30 students, according to a manager.

The others are waiting, because since the August 14, 2021 earthquake, the damaged high school lacks benches and classes are overcrowded, often with more than 60 students, explains manager Jean Verra Charles.

The public school, operating in double shifts, receives children under a temporary shelter made of sheet metal. Sometimes there are four of them sharing benches designed for two.

These migrations […] are overwhelming local schools, which now say they can no longer handle the influx.

The Grand’Anse department officially welcomed 3,870 new students from Port-au-Prince, 90% of whom were in elementary or middle school, according to the departmental directorate of the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (MENFP).

The department was already facing overcrowded classrooms and a shortage of benches. Among 1,000 schools, 50-60% ask for subsidies and canteens, Marcel Jeanty, departmental director of the MENFP, reports to AyiboPost.

Currently, the sector is affected by the massive exodus of teachers. “In some schools, a teacher must manage two classrooms simultaneously,” notes the regional manager of the MENFP.

In addition, most new arrivals come “without report cards, diplomas, or transcripts” from their previous schools.

Parents, fleeing gang violence, are often unable to obtain essential school materials, such as books or shoes. “Some people ask me for help for their children,” says Jeanty.

In certain localities, parents opt for public schools, which are already in high demand.

Most new arrivals come “without report cards, diplomas, or transcripts” from their previous schools.

In Limonade, only 3 or 4 out of 13 public schools are functioning adequately, according to a MENFP official.

Requests for help from schools will persist until the end of the school year and will continue until the beginning of the upcoming school year.

Guybonce Bonnet, director of the College Éducatif Moderne in Les Cayes, calls on the MENFP to address the integration difficulties faced by new students.

Institutions like the Collège Saint-Anne in Limonade are calling on NGOs. “We haven’t found anything so far,” laments Renan Petit-Frère, administrative director.

Students require psychosocial support, which is often non-existent in host schools.

The overload makes teaching more difficult, notes Makenson Locan, an experienced teacher in the Center department.

Students fight to adapt despite their trauma. Psychological support initiatives will be launched by establishments such as Saint-Viateur in Gonaïves.

However, an increase in the failure rate is possible this year, warns Benoît Michel from the Northern Inspectorate.

By Lucnise Duquereste & Jabin Phontus

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