Thaindian News

PORT-AU-PRINCE, HAITI (BNO NEWS) — The United Nations on Friday said that some of the worst-hit areas damaged by the earthquake in Haiti will see school re-openings as early as April.

Despite only a few schools being open in Port-au-Prince and outerlying areas, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has announced a new deadline by which classes in areas affected by last month’s earthquake will resume by the start of the rain season in early April.

“Some of the schools for sure will be open by then and we will do an accelerated learning programme so they do not lose the school year. This will be challenging for the Haitian Ministry of Education and the partners,” Roshan Khadivi, UNICEF’s Communications Officer in Port-au-Prince told the UN News Centre.

Only about 10 percent of the schools in Port-au-Prince were functional as of February.

UNICEF and other partners plan to set up tents for immediate use as classrooms until the rainy and hurricane seasons start in the spring. By then, UNICEF says it hopes to have temporary learning spaces which can be used for a year or two until the schools are rebuilt.

In addition to identifying space, UNICEF and the Ministry are working to identify and quickly train teaching personnel. New teachers will have to overcome not only the difficulties of working in a tent, but also of working with students who are afraid of being in a classroom again.

In addition to children, university officials and students who hoped for a better life have had their education and future employment cut short. The University of Port-au-Prince mourned 150 students who lost their loves in last month’s devastating earthquake.

Some school officials want to look ahead and try to maintain a sense of normalcy.

To assist with the financial aspects of getting students back to school, the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) last week launched a public appeal for donations to help re-establish the country’s educational system.