Haiti: Can Non-Public Schools Fill the Gap for Poor Children?
- The Tuition Waiver Program increased enrollment in participating schools.
- The program reduced the percentage of students who were older than they should have been for their grade.
- Participating schools were able to meet most of the program rules related to class size, permits, and available textbooks.
- Schools responded to increased enrollment by hiring more teachers, keeping class sizes relatively stable.
- The program likely contributed to the increase in Haiti's national enrollment rate over the past decade.
This policy brief analyzes Haiti's Tuition Waiver Program, a public-private partnership designed to improve school enrollment by providing subsidies to non-public schools for poor students. The program, launched in 2007, aimed to address the fact that the majority of primary schools in Haiti are non-public and charge fees, making education inaccessible for many children. An impact evaluation of the program found that it increased enrollment, particularly among younger students, and reduced the percentage of students who were older than they should have been for their grade. The brief concludes that tuition waivers can make education more accessible but may not be enough to overcome other barriers such as the cost of uniforms and transportation.
How to cite
World Bank; Strategic Impact Evaluation Fund, 2015, Haiti: Can Non-Public Schools Fill the Gap for Poor Children?, accessed via HaitiDocs, https://www.haitidocs.org/doc/wb-2015-haiti-can-non-public-schools-fill