In this section, we publish in extenso the speech of the Minister of National Education and Vocational Training, Antoine Augustin, on the occasion of the installation of the new members of the National Agency for Higher Education and Scientific Research (ANESRS).
Honourable Presidential Advisers,
Prime Minister,
Ladies and gentlemen, civil, academic and administrative authorities,
Distinguished guests,
Today is a truly special and historic day for our country. It marks the start of an institution called upon to transform the future of higher education and scientific research in Haiti in a sustainable way. By installing the seven senior executives of the National Agency for Higher Education and Scientific Research, the Haitian State poses a historic act, an act of responsibility and, above all, an act of vision.
For too long, our higher education system has evolved without a coherent national framework, without a strong mechanism of regulation, evaluation and strategic direction. This has hampered quality, weakened research and limited the university's contribution to national development. Today, this page is turned.
A major institutional vacuum is being filled by L-ANESRS. It embodies the firm will of the Haitian state to align its higher education and scientific research with the demands of modernity, quality, transparency and performance. For there can be no sustainable development without scientific research or effective research without rigorous governance.
As Louis Pasteur so rightly said: « Science has no homeland [...] because knowledge is the heritage of humanity, the torch that enlightens the world. » By installing today the leaders of the ANESRS, we officially light this torch for Haiti and Haiti.
Ladies and gentlemen,
To the seven cadres we set up today, the Nation entrusts a noble but demanding mission. You are called to be architects of a new model of academic governance. You will need to ensure quality, promote excellence, encourage innovation and make scientific research a real driver of national development.
Your mission is not limited to administration; she is also moral, intellectual and patriotic. You will need to build bridges between university and society, between research and the economy, between knowledge and social progress.
Through ANESRS, we want to train critical minds, produce useful knowledge, value our researchers, strengthen our universities and, above all, restore confidence to Haitian youth in the power of knowledge.
Honourable Presidential Advisers,
Prime Minister,
Your presence at this ceremony demonstrates the strategic importance that the state now attaches to higher education and scientific research. She sends a strong message to the academic community: Haiti believes in the intelligence of its daughters and sons.
Ladies and gentlemen,
LANESRS will not only be an administrative institution. It must become a symbol: The symbol of a Haiti that chooses science rather than improvisation. The symbol of a Haiti that chooses knowledge rather than ignorance. The symbol of a Haiti that chooses the future rather than resignation.
I conclude by recalling Nelson Mandela's words: « Education is the most powerful weapon that can be used to change the world. » Today, with ANESRS, Haiti is finally acquiring this peaceful but invincible weapon.
To the installed executives, I extend my warmest congratulations and encouragement. To the Haitian Nation, I say: The future begins today.
Thank you.
