Le cluster Éducation en Haïti: deux ans après

HAITI 2011 The Education Cluster in Haiti – Two Year On January 2012 Introduction Throughout 2011, the Haiti Education Cluster led by UNICEF and Save the Children, established shortly after the January 2010 earthquake, continued to leverage resources (technical, material and financial) to enhance cholera prevention and the recovery of the education system from the impact of the earthquake, while supporting the Government of Haiti to strengthen the capacity of the education system, including developing mechanisms to prevent, prepare for and respond to future emergencies. The recovery process from the catastrophe of the earthquake has been ambivalent. Despite a significant drop from the initial 1.5 million displaced people, to date, around 519,146 people are still living in make-shift tents in camps1, which have been threatened on multiple occasions by hurricanes, cholera and eviction. Around 50% of debris has been removed.2 In the education sector, only 8.6% of schools in the affected area is still in need of debris removal, according to the study conducted by UNICEF in collaboration with Consortium des Organisations du Secteur Privé de © UNICEF/Haiti/2011/Dormino l'Education (COSPE) and Fondation Haitienne de l'Enseignement Privé (FONHEP), while 56% of schools says that their infrastructure is still damaged or destroyed3. Despite this slow recovery of school infrastructure, which is compounded by economic challenges, the education sector has shown an incredible resilience, a characteristic intrinsic to Haitian society. A report jointly produced by the Education and Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Clusters indicates that a striking 81% of girls and boys aged 6-14 that live in camps are enrolled in school4. Compared to the previous record of 75% in the previous survey conducted in November 20105, this is a marked improvement. However, school fees remain a major barrier to school attendance in an education system in which 80% of education is provided by the non-public sector, and the 1 Displacement Tracking Matrix Report, IOM, November 2011, http://www.eshelter-cccmhaiti.info/ 2 Early Recovery Cluster, http://haiti.humanitarianresponse.info/Default.aspx?tabid=71 3 Etat des lieux dans les écoles – un an après le séisme, the Eduction Cluster, 2011. 4 Survey on School Enrollment in Camps, Haiti Education and CCCM Clusters, Jan 2011 5 Survey on the School Enrollment of the Children in Camps in Haiti, Haiti Education Cluster, Dec 2010. relentless economic challenges facing the majority of families leave many children out of school. In addition to the transition from emergency to recovery, 2011 also marks a year of political transition for Haiti, in particular for the education sector. Universal and free primary education has been one of President Martelly’s electoral promises, aiming to comply with the 1987 constitution for the first time. Humanitarian actors are hailing this timely initiative as an effort which will enhance the smooth transition from emergency to recovery and development. Education Cluster structure and partnership While many of the partners (decreased from about 200 organisations in 2010 to around 80 partners in 2011) have shifted their programming from emergency assistance to reconstruction and development-oriented activities, the Education Cluster has played an important role in addressing urgent needs. At national level, regular meetings were held with an average of 30 partners for monthly Open Forum meetings, with strong participation by local NGOs and around 10 key partners in bi-monthly Strategic Group meetings to allow for collective decision-making. These meetings have played a vital role in providing a forum to allow Cluster partners to engage with the government and with each other, share information, and perform strategic planning and gap analysis. In addition, thematic working groups used streamlined approaches to support the government in the following two areas: (i) cholera prevention and (ii) emergency preparedness and disaster risk reduction. The working group for the Corail relocation site continued to provide updates on partners’ activities and on progress in advocacy for the government. Sub-national Education Clusters continue to be functional in Leogane, Petit-Goave and Jacmel, thus allowing for close coordination of partner interventions at the local level, and for involvement and capacity-building of local government bodies and education officials as well as the provision of input to national level strategies. All meetings are conducted in French. The Cluster partners’ second Very satisfactory (5) 3 satisfaction survey6 conducted in June 2011 (Graph 1) shows that the Satisfactory (4) 19 majority of its partners are satisfied Neither insatisfactory, with overall performance; 22 out of 2 nor satisfactory (3) 26 respondents among key national Insatisfactory (2) 2 and international NGOs and civil society organisations stated that Very insatisfactory (1) 0 the performance of the Cluster is ‘very satisfactory’ and 0 5 10 15 20 ‘satisfactory’7. Graph 1: Satisfaction level of Education Cluster’s overall performance 6 The first survey was conducted in July 2010. 7 Education Cluster Satisfaction Survey Report, July 2011 Beyond the Education Cluster structure, the Cluster coordination unit participates in bi- monthly meetings of the Education Sector Working Group which engages in longer-term development discussions with MENFP, UNESCO, World Bank, Inter-America Development Bank, European Union and major bilateral partners such as Canada, the United States, Spain and France. The Cluster Coordinator also participates in bi-monthly inter-Cluster coordination meetings for collective decision making, coordinated actions and advocacy of educational needs in the overall humanitarian response in Haiti. Key activities and achievements of the Education Cluster in 2011  Cholera Response The cholera outbreak, which spread in October 2010 from the lower Artibonite region to the entire country, represents a vulnerability faced by schoolchildren daily, as many schools do not have proper latrines or hand-washing facilities. In 2011, the Education Cluster was instrumental in extending its support beyond earthquake affected areas to treat water in school and sensitize children and teachers on hygiene promotion, in particular, hand- washing with soap. Inter-sectorial collaboration in particular with WASH and Health Clusters, and collaboration with MINUSTAH in the distribution of materials, has made a marked impact on efficient and effective service delivery. Overall, Cluster partners reached more than 2 million students. The Cluster has successfully helped to set up a working group for hygiene promotion in schools within the 2,000,000 2,000,000 development context, comprised of both WASH and Education partners, which coordinates joint activities in an effort to harmonize materials and support curriculum integration by the MENFP (Ministère de Target for 2011 Output 2011 l’Education Nationale et de la Formation Graph 2: Number of children benefiting from hygiene Professionnelle). promotion measures  Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Risk Reduction Having performed real-time simulations during multiple hurricane threats, the Education Cluster has 500 strived to put into place mechanisms to better prepare 468 and respond to emergencies. The Cluster regularly participated in E-joint and National and sub-National Emergency Operation Centres (COUN, COUD and COUC) when activated during crises, as well as in joint simulation exercises organized by the Civil Protection Target for Output 2011 2011 Department. The national contingency plan, which is regularly updated, has included education aspects Graph 3: Number of schools having school- and has the capacity to cover around 55,000 students based contingency plans and 1,400 teachers based on given scenarios. Partners were also trained on joint rapid assessment by the DPC (Direction de la protection civile), and guidance messages on the proper use of schools as emergency shelters have been developed. Sub-national contingency plans were made available in all 10 departments, although there is still room for improvement. An SMS alert system was set up for the first time, in collaboration with Digicel Foundation, sending early warning messages to around 4,000 school principals during an emergency. The system was later handed over to the Presidential team, which has been using the system to send critical information on the universal education programme to school principals. At school level, the Cluster partners have implemented disaster risk reduction (DRR) trainings in 1,000 schools across the country. As part of the transition plan, the Education Cluster is currently helping to set up a DRR working group with broader partners beyond the Cluster to strengthen coordination within the development framework.  Capacity building on Education in Emergencies In Leogane, Petit Goave and Jacmel, local education officials have received advocacy on ownership of Cluster coordination and information management. All three regions, though at different levels of involvement, are now preparing to assume leadership in coordination structures. The Cluster organised trainings for trainers on the Inter-Agency Network on Education in Emergencies (INEE) minimum © UNICEF/Haiti/2011/Dormino standards for NGOs, who in turn replicated the trainings for education officials at departmental level in the Grand South region.  Coordination with the Government, Clusters and other stakeholders As mentioned earlier, close collaboration with and advocacy on education with other Clusters and key partners have contributed significantly to coherent and efficient Cluster response. Situation and risk analysis on cholera produced jointly by WASH and Health Clusters was regularly shared with partners and used for gap analysis and strategic planning. The joint guidance note on the use of schools as emergency shelters is being jointly produced in collaboration with the DPC and Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster, and a joint report on school enrollment in camps was produced using recent data on displacement tracking and analysis by the Education Cluster. Civil-military cooperation with MINUSTAH (Peace Keeping Operation) in debris clearance and distribution of school and water treatment materials also continued. The Education Cluster has also succeeded in communicating directly with Government officials, and in closing gaps between the Government and NGOs. At the time of the Government transition, the Education Cluster was able to directly communicate with the President’s advisor on education to exchange views and advocate for the needs of victims of the earthquake.  Guidance and strategy setting In 2011, the Cluster produced guidance notes and strategy documents in order to minimize the disruption of schooling during emergencies. The Cluster is advocating for the prioritized relocation of IDPs living in school compounds, as around 20 schools are still occupied by IDPs and reports indicate that there are negative impacts on education and on the protection of students, who have been disturbed by IDPs, including gender-based violence. A guidance note has been produced for the use of schools as emergency shelters as a last resort and swift resumption of school activities in case of school occupation during emergencies. To support continuous education during the phase from camp relocation to neighbourhood community, a strategy paper has been produced, providing procedures to facilitate continuous education in ongoing relocation initiatives. A guidance note on the debris clearance request process has been prepared in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and MINUSTAH, however it needs capacity reinforcement to become operational. Furthermore, in order to protect rights of children, Cluster partners are distributing key messages through schools in collaboration with Child Protection partners. Consistent with ongoing discussions at all levels, the Cluster transition plan is now being shaped in a consultative manner with stakeholders.  Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP) In 2011, the CAP accounted for the approved amount of US$ 34,283,882 for over 16 projects, an amount which was later revised to US$ 10 million at the time of the mid-year review. Of this, US$ 3.8 million was received to finance two projects. This decline from US$ 85 million in 2010 reflects the overall tendency in humanitarian funding for the country. In the last quarter of 2011, the Cluster, through wide consultation with different partners, prepared a 2012 CAP document of $7 million with projects posted by 25 partners. Most projects focus on urgent humanitarian needs such as education provision in relocation sites and cholera prevention and disaster reduction measures in schools.  Information Management: As the last remaining major source of educational information for all education partners in- and outside the country, the Education Cluster has achieved the following in 2011 in terms of data collection and management: (i) Maintaining a database of over 5,800 schools in earthquake-affected areas, including information on building conditions and debris clearance needs; (ii) Maintaining a database of who does what, where and when (4W) in the form of the Activity Monitoring Matrix harmonised by OCHA for all Clusters; (iii) Producing gap analysis with maps of partner presence and lists of needy schools; (iv) Maintaining a Cluster website with updated information; (v) Reporting, including OCHA Situation Reports, the Education Cluster Information Bulletins and various thematic maps with the support of OCHA; (vi) A report analysing school enrollment in IDP camps was produced in partnership with the CCCM Cluster, (vii) A survey on situation analyses in schools in earthquake affected areas was conducted by COSPE/FOHNEP and funded by the Education Cluster/UNICEF; (viii) Mapping of partner interventions in response to emergencies, particularly concerning prevention of cholera, emergency preparedness, and gap analyses on partners’ interventions.  Delivery of education services and facilities Indicators Target for Achieved % 2011 to date Achieved 1.1: Number of children benefiting from school 425,000 488,803 115% materials in the earthquake-affected areas 1.2: Number of teachers benefiting from teaching 15,000 16,797 120% materials in the earthquake-affected areas 1.3: Number of schools destroyed or damaged 300 139 46% already cleared of debris 1.4: Number of semi-permanent schools 600 477 80% reconstructed in the earthquake-affected areas 1.5: Number of permanent schools 200 159 80% reconstructed/rehabilitated in the earthquake- affected areas 2.1: Number of children benefiting from hygiene 2,000,000 2,000,000 100% promotion measures 2.2: Number of teachers benefiting from hygiene 20,000 19,930 100% promotion measures 2.3: Number of schools benefiting from hygiene 10,000 5,845 58% promotion measures 2.4: Number of schools furnishing hand-washing 1,000 991 99% stations 3.1: Number of schools with school-based 500 468 94% contingency plans 3.2: Number of teachers trained on emergency 1,000 3,854 385% preparedness and/or disaster risk reduction Key constraints and challenges  Transition of the new government In between the announcement of the president in April and the appointment of Prime Minister in November 2011, it was difficult engaging with national authorities, with the work of the outgoing ministers and their senior staff was limited to daily routine, thus constraining the involvement of MENFP officials in Cluster discussions. This has affected many aspects of the Cluster’s work, including the transition process which aims to see a progressive handover of functions from Cluster to responsible national authorities.  Geographical coverage After the nation-wide cholera outbreak, the need for Cluster coordination was extended from earthquake-affected zones to the entire country. However this did not translate into greater participation in cluster leadership from the current coordination structure, formed in response to the earthquake. Subsequently, there was a lack of coordination of activities in various parts of the country.  Pre-existing structural problem Integration of out-of-school children, especially the most vulnerable groups, has been challenging due to the pre-existing structural deficit in the country in which 80% of the education provision is from the non-public sector. Major problems such as a lack of qualified and motivated teachers and the payment of salaries for teachers are impediments which humanitarian actors are no longer able to address. These will continue to be issues even assuming that President Martelly’s initiative promising universal and free primary education is fully operational.  Shift of focus on residual humanitarian issues As partners increasingly focus on recovery and development work and as humanitarian funding declines, and with the scope of work for the Education Cluster being minimized to focus on remaining urgent needs, there are increasingly fewer partners who are engaged in contributing to the Cluster’s work such as educational provision for children in camps and relocation sites.  Limited national capacity Despite efforts by Cluster members to boost the capacity of MENFP officials at national, departmental and communal level, a lack of capacity at all levels remains a huge constraint. National ownership for emergency activities has been weak throughout the year in nearly every education sector function. A number of Ministry officials, including school inspectors, are left without means or capacity to adequately fulfill their respective roles. Despite positive intentions to participate at the local level, there is limited initiative, follow-up and motivation, in part due to insufficient capacity in terms of training, human resources, technology and transport. In addition, the highly centralized decision-making power at national level prevents local level representatives from performing their desired functions.  Data collection and management Lack of a consolidated education information management system on the national level continues to be a challenge, however for the first time since 2003, the national school census is ongoing to fill essential data gaps8. Collecting information for the Cluster has been difficult due to loss of momentum in emergency response, the shortage of staff and the volume of work in each member organization.  Funding issues As mentioned earlier, the education sector has faced a huge drop in humanitarian funding from 98% in 2010 to 35% (US$ 85 million to 3.8 million) of requested funds in the CAP, and consequently many partners have downsized their operations or closed down. On the other hand, increasingly more donors (public and private) are financing development-related activities. 8 MENFP is in the process of finalizing the national school census but there has been a significant delay in completion.  Staff turn-over Through less problematic than the last year, the absence of a deputy Cluster coordinator and a sub-national coordinator in Léogâne/Petit Goäve during recruitment has been an impediment for the Cluster co-lead agencies. The Cluster coordination unit was constantly obliged to adjust staff responsibilities to fill gaps. Way Forward: Building capacity for transition Based on a series of discussions the Cluster has undertaken with internal and external partners, as well as within the co-lead agencies, several transition initiatives have been taken with regard to the transition and phase-out process. The Cluster is developing a plan to help the Government and its partners to acquire minimum capacity for continuous emergency preparedness and response coordination both in development and future emergency contexts. Although still a work in progress, the transition plan contains the following points: 1) Help strengthen MENFP coordination capacity in disaster risk management (DRM) and future emergencies through the creation of a DRM unit and a DRM working group at national level and coordination mechanisms such as the Sectorial Table at department level; 2) Capitalize on the Cluster’s two year experience to strengthen capacity within the lead agencies (UNICEF and Save the Children) in case of major emergencies; 3) Help establish an NGO coordination forum in the development context and strengthen capacity of key NGOs. A group of key NGOs has launched a coordination forum to continue dialogue and coordination among sector partners and with the government and bilateral donors after the phase-out of the Education Cluster. The launch of a DRR working group is also underway in partnership with DPC, World Bank, USAID, UNICEF and NGOs to help leverage the capacity of MENFP and to prevent risks in future disasters. In addition to assisting these new development coordination mechanisms, UNICEF and Save the Children will continue to leverage their experience and capacity to continue advocating for the most vulnerable victims of crises and ensure a smooth transition, capacity building and adequate response during major disasters. For more information, please contact the Education Cluster Coordinator Mohamed Fall (mmfall@unicef.org).