“Thinking about the future of education in the context of a pandemic” – New report from UNESCO Haiti

Between September and December 2020, the UNESCO office in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, held a series of webinars to encourage exchange and reflection on the issue of education in the context of COVID-19. UNESCO has now published a report entitled “Penser l’avenir de l’éducation en contexte de pandémie”, available only in French, which summarizes the outcome of these webinars.

Organized within the framework of UNESCO's Futures of Education initiative, this series of webinars sought to give voice to stakeholders from all walks of life in Haiti, including current and former government figures, teachers, trade unionists, university researchers, schoolchildren, students and professionals from various backgrounds. Contributors discussed the future of education from different perspectives, touching on subjects including the quality of teaching and learning in Haitian schools, literacy and non-formal education, cultural and artistic education, inclusive learning, as well as higher education and scientific research. The report outlines the substance of each discussion, and in its concluding section stresses the importance of placing humanism and diversity at the core of the Haitian education system to guarantee genuine inclusivity and ensure a better future for Haiti.

These are timely discussions, the report explains, in view of the recent adoption of the Education 2030 Framework for Action for Sustainable Development, the Strategic Development Plan for Haiti (PSDH), the Ten-Year Education and Training Plan 2020-2030, and the three new decrees on higher education and research which were adopted in June 2020.