Overview:
Students have cautiously resumed their studies this week in the Haitian capital, after an interruption of over two months due to widespread gang violence that disrupted the academic year. During these violent incidents, numerous schools and faculties were subjected to arson, looting and vandalism.
PORT-AU-PRINCE — This week has seen numerous students in this capital city, returning to school after a two-month hiatus caused by escalating gang violence. This includes students from various local universities, notably private institutions. However, the fear and stress associated with navigating the city’s streets is palpable as students attempt to readjust to school life.
“I returned to school with considerable apprehension because the situation [gang violence] hasn’t really improved,” Rosie Thelusma, a medical student at University of the Aristide Foundation (UNIFA), told The Haitian Times. “When I’m on the streets, I’m extremely stressed because I don’t feel safe due to the lack of police presence.”
Thelusma is scheduled to take her final exams in the second semester in June. She’s concerned about how suspending classes might affect her results. “I didn’t do anything special at home. At some point, staying at home becomes mentally exhausting.”
Some are still exercising caution.
“My younger sisters have been attending school since Monday, May 6, but I’m still waiting for the decision from my school management,” says Esther Jean Claude, a university student. “In the area where their school is located, there is no problem currently. However, my mother prefers to send them in civilian clothes as a precaution.”
“I returned to school with bad apprehension because the situation has not really improved. When I’m on the streets I’m very stressed because I don’t feel safe. There aren’t enough police officers on the streets.”
Rosie Thelusma, medical student at UNIFA
Since the beginning of the week, Port-au-Prince has experienced relative calm. Life appeared as it was a few months before the gang accelerated attacks on the capital, which had led to the resignation of former Prime Minister Ariel Henry.
On Wednesday, as was the case for both Monday and Tuesday, public transportation operated smoothly, even though certain areas near the city center like Bas Delmas and Portail Léogâne remained tense. Commercial banks and transactions at transfer offices were bustling with customers and vendors were visible on most sidewalks.
Fuel pumps, which had been dry in the past, were now servicing drivers and motorcyclists. Retail stores and supermarkets, particularly along the Delmas highway, had opened their doors to the public.
The education sector remains one of the hardest hit by Haiti’s multidimensional crisis. From political protests to gang violence, the school calendar hasn’t gone a year without disruptions.
Since the violence escalated on February 29, attacks led to the closure of many schools in the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area. Some were burned, while others, including State University of Haiti’s colleges of Agronomy, Medicine and Pharmacy and the National School of Arts, were damaged, looted and vandalized by gangs.
By the end of January, approximately 900 schools had temporarily closed their doors, depriving around 200,000 children of their right to education, according to a UNICEF report published on April 8. “The situation is increasingly worrying as gangs now control 80 to 90% of the capital”, said UNICEF, adding that many other schools abruptly closed their doors in Port-au-Prince at the end of February.
The Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (MENFP), in a press release published on May 6, expressed its delight with the gradual resumption of school activities in Port-au-Prince. MENFP’s officials announced they are making arrangements to compensate for lost class days and provide support to the students most affected by the disruptions in the academic year.
In addition to classroom learning, the MENFP plans to utilize video capsules, radio, web radio and television broadcasts. They will also offer courses on their digital resource platform and other platforms of partner institutions to ensure the successful completion of the school year. The ministry of education invites all sectors, particularly experienced teachers interested in participating in this “learning recovery” program, to register at the schools where they teach, according to the press release.
The reopening of schools and faculties after extensive damage caused by gang violence has brought a semblance of normality back to the educational environment. However, some feel a lingering bitterness. “The last days of school were characterized by fear and a lot of mistrust,” says Taïna Lévêque, a UNIFA student. “We remain stressed because the insecurity is still there.”
There isn’t yet an exhaustive report of the impact of insecurity fueled by gang violence on the education system. The Haitian media have continued to report on gang attacks against school infrastructure and have forced several parents to flee their homes with their children, unable to return to school.