Port-au-Prince, August 30, 2025.- As of October 1, 2025, all private schools in Haiti will have to hold an operating permit issued by the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (MENFP). In addition, a second provision requires a permit to direct the teaching directors, as part of the implementation of the National Policy on Accreditation of Private Schools (PONAEP).
The MENFP is taking a decisive step in regulating the education sector. According to a recently published circular, every private institution, from pre-school to high school, will have to submit a complete file to the Departmental Directorates of Education (DDE) in order to obtain a three-year operating permit, renewable once.
Schools already enrolled in the Information System for the Management of Education (SIGE) will benefit from this authorisation, while those who do not yet meet all the conditions will receive a one-year provisional permit. After this period, they will lose the right to enrol students in official examinations.
Another major innovation is that teachers will now be required to have a licence to direct, based on their degrees and experience. This measure aims at professionalizing the function and ensuring better governance in private institutions.
DEDs will be responsible for monitoring the application of these new rules and punishing offenders. For the MENFP, this reform puts an end to a regulatory vacuum that allowed many schools to operate without official supervision, and paves the way for a more rigorous and transparent management of the Haitian education system.
W.A.
