Protests over teachers’ strike spread to Jacmel as public school crisis deepens

By Danise Davide Lejustal

JACMEL—  Hundreds of public high school students flooded the streets of Jacmel on Jan. 15, peacefully protesting the ongoing teachers’ strike that has paralyzed public schools in the Southeast Department. Chanting slogans for equality and education, the students demanded an immediate return of teachers to classrooms, decrying the stark disparities between public and private school systems.

“If we cannot attend classes, no private school should operate,” the students chanted while disrupting operations at some private schools in the city.

 “We will all sit for the same official exams, yet we are the only ones at a disadvantage,” one student, who remained anonymous for safety concerns told The Haitian Times.

The protest reflects the chronic instability in Haiti’s educational system, where teacher strikes, funding shortages and inadequate infrastructure have plagued public schools for decades. The situation is further exacerbated by sociopolitical and economic instabilities, leaving thousands of students without access to consistent, quality education. The latest crisis developing within the education system highlights a significant divide between state schools, which remain in constant turmoil, and the private sector, which operates relatively steadily but is out of reach for most Haitian families.

During their march, the students occupied several city streets, calling for equality between public and private school students. The protesters temporarily disrupted some private schools, forcing the administrators of those schools to shut their doors and release students early. 

Structural inequalities in the education system

Haiti’s education system is fraught with challenges perpetuating inequality between public (about 18%) and private schools (about 82%). While private institutions operate relatively smoothly, they remain unaffordable for most Haitian families.

“This situation, which has persisted for more than a decade in Jacmel, highlights the divide between the public sector, which is constantly in crisis, and the private sector,” said Gabrielle Confident, principal of state high school Lycée Célie Lamour, expressing her distress over the situation. 

Similarly to the rest of the country, Jacmel’s state-employed secondary school teachers also split their teaching hours with private schools. This situation often severely frustrates public school students, who usually feel neglected, particularly during strikes like the current one. While teachers strike in public schools to demand pay raises, overdue salaries, more social benefits, better working conditions and full employment for those with pending status for years, they continue to work as usual in private schools. 

“If we cannot attend classes, no private school should operate in the city.”

Protesting public school students in Jacmel

In solidarity, some private school students left early to join the protest with their peers from public schools.

“They [teachers] say they are on strike, but they profit from using our hours to teach private school students for additional paychecks on top of what the government pays them for doing nothing,” said Jean-Marcel Lejean, a 12th-grade student.

 “Teachers’ demands are legitimate,” Confident conceded. “They have been calling for better working conditions for years, but their appeals remain unanswered. However, students cannot achieve their academic goals due to these repeated strikes,” Confident added, urging the Ministry of Education to act urgently.

A developing crisis in Haiti’s schools amid the government’s silence

Since Jan. 6, public schools in major cities across Haiti, including Jérémie, Les Cayes, Cap-Haïtien, Gonaïves, Fort-Liberté, and Jacmel, have suspended classes due to teacher strikes. Educators have been calling for better pay, access to health insurance, salary adjustments, permanent appointments, and improved infrastructure. Students in most of these cities have responded with protests to demand concrete actions from the authorities. 

The Ministry of Education’s departmental directorate has not responded to The Haitian Times’ request for comment on the crisis or potential government intervention to resume school operations.

On his part, Alerte Jean Charles, a union leader representing the striking teachers from the Association des Enseignants de Jacmel (AEJ), clarified for local reporters that the strike was not intended to harm students but to defend teachers’ rights.

“Strike teachers are not meant to harm students but to advocate for their rights,” he said. “We are demanding dignified working conditions: access to health insurance, the implementation of a debit card system, salary adjustments, teacher appointments, as well as the rehabilitation and construction of public schools,” Jean Charles added.

The teachers’ strike, although understandable to many given their difficult economic conditions, raises concerns among parents. 

“We believe the strike is justified, as teachers are facing a tough economic situation compared to what they receive as educators,” Jean-Mary Remé, a father with a child in the city’s public school system, said. However, he called for the state’s responsibility, emphasizing that children should not suffer to receive the education they deserve.

Leaning on the underlying rights provided by the Haitian Constitution, Remé added: “It is the state that must ensure quality education in society. The government must take responsibility and allow children to return to school immediately.”

Meanwhile, the students intend to keep up the pressure without swift and prompt action from the authorities as students chanted during last weeks protests. 

“We will stay in the streets until the government fulfills its responsibilities and constitutional obligations,” students vowed while marching.                

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Protests over teachers’ strike spread to Jacmel as public school crisis deepens was first posted on January 20, 2025 at 11:10 am.