After more than two months of discussions initiated between the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (MENFP) and teachers' unions, an agreement was found on a strategy, which should ultimately lead to an agreement on the main claims of the teaching world, including the special status of the teacher and the career plan.

The social dialogue started with the unions since the beginning of the mandate of the Minister of Education, Vanneur Pierre begins to give its first results. Last week, a resolution was passed between the two parties on the strategy to adopt for the research of solutions to the various problems affecting the teaching world.

Constituted in five points, this agreement between the MENFP and the signatory unions, with the exception of the National Union of normaliens of Haiti (UNNOH) also present at the meeting, paves the way to follow in order to achieve the objectives fixed :

• Promote the enhancement of the teaching profession by working regularly on the challenges and obstacles that hinder the development of this professional body ;

• Involving teachers in the management of education, as key players in the educational action ;

• Reach an agreement on the claims expressed in the specifications submitted to the attention of MENFP, by trade unions.

This agreement comes to consolidate the new administration of MENFP, supported by the administration Martelly-Lamothe, who wanted to find an agreement with the unions, in order to revalue the teaching profession. An idea found in both the minister's message for the new school yeart and especially his message during the World Teachers' Day, 5 October.

Main points of the agreement adopted and signed by theCNEH, CONEH, FENATEC, GIEL, REH, UNNOEH, MENFP and the Primature :

• Constitute a negotiating table multi-sectoral in order to : understand the problems to which are faced the education system in general and in particular, the status of teachers ; agree on appropriate solutions and provide implementation measures.

• Ask the unions to nominate their representatives to the table, one participant by union ;

• Invite, if necessary, to the table other sectoral ministries regarding their responsibility in the search for solutions to the problems identified ;

• Establish a permanent framework for exchange and interaction between MENFP and trade unions and teacher ;

• Establish a schedule of meetings biweekly, or Wednesdays and Fridays in the morning, until the exhaustion of the most compelling issues.

According to the Ministry, this agreement opens a new promising page in the relationship between teachers' unions and MENFP and is part of the process of the Minister, who had called at a previous meeting, the trade unionists to accompany it to meet the challenges and changing the image of the education sector.

HL/ HaitiLibre