Overview:

Haiti’s literacy bureau has launched a one-year, $20.8 million program to teach 1.5 million adults, but its success depends on promised funding amid a collapsing education system. While authorities have promoted the initiative, scheduled from October 2025 to September 2026, there is no guarantee that the Bureau of the Secretary of State for Literacy and Non-Formal Education (BSE-AENF) will secure the necessary resources.

PORT-AU-PRINCE — Haiti’s Bureau of the Secretary of State for Literacy and Non-Formal Education (BSE-AENF) has announced an ambitious program, costing 2.7 billion gourdes or approximately $20.8 million, to teach 1.5 million people to read and write the next year — a major step in a country where nearly one in four citizens remains illiterate.

The program, which runs from October 2025 through September 2026, aims to reverse decades of stalled progress in literacy. But its success, officials acknowledge, depends on whether the government can deliver the 2.7 billion gourdes in funding it has promised.

“The state says it needs literate citizens,” said Mozart Clérisson, Secretary of State for Literacy, in a recent interview with The Haitian Times.

“As long as we are able to secure these resources, I want to give everyone the assurance that the literacy work will be carried out and successfully completed.”

Mozart Clérisson, the new Secretary of State for Literacy, during an interview with The Haitian Times on Monday, September 22, 2025. Photo by Juhakenson Blaise / The Haitian Times.

But the entire plan is built on promises from the transitional government.

The project calls for 10 coordination centers in each department, public awareness campaigns, transportation for literacy workers, and the training of nearly 50,000 instructors and supervisors. Officials have begun training sessions in the West, Northwest and Artibonite regions while identifying illiterate populations in each department.

Despite these preparations, the literacy bureau’s plan currently rests on pledged funding that has not yet been released. “The state guarantees us resources in the budget,” Clérisson said. “So we wait for the time to come to implement what the state has tasked us with.”

Longstanding challenge, cycle of neglect, as education is under siege

More than 2.5 million Haitians — out of an estimated population of nearly 12 million — cannot read or write, according to 2024 government data. The West Department alone has an illiteracy rate of 34% among its approximately four million people.

According to the BSE-AENF, the Artibonite Department ranks second, with a 15% rate among its nearly two million population.

The literacy gap mirrors Haiti’s broader education crisis. The United Nations reports that 1,600 schools have closed since April, affecting about 243,000 students, while at least 1.3 million people have been displaced nationwide due to gang violence. Many literacy centers are located in areas now controlled by armed groups, further complicating access to education.

“As long as we are able to secure these resources, I want to give everyone the assurance that the literacy work will be carried out and successfully completed.”

Mozart Clérisson, Secretary of State for Literacy

Created in 1994, the literacy bureau has struggled for decades to meet its mission. Each new administration launches fresh initiatives, often without continuity. Clérisson himself previously led the agency in 2015 and now returns with what he calls “a renewed commitment” to address illiteracy on a national scale.

“For a country to move forward, education must be its foundation,” Clérisson said. “Since there aren’t enough educated people, there’s inevitably a setback. We must act to reduce the number of people who cannot read or write so the country can progress.”

Since the 1970s, the number of illiterate people has ranged between 2 and 3 million, despite the various literacy programs implemented over time, driven by population growth. According to UNESCO, Haiti remains among the lowest-ranked countries in Latin America and the Caribbean for literacy. As of 2016, about 366,000 young people aged 15 to 24 were illiterate — a figure that has shown little improvement in the past decade.

However, Article 39.2 of the Constitution requires the Haitian government to take all necessary steps to strengthen mass literacy campaigns.

Haiti’s deteriorating security situation has devastated its education system. Since 2021, gangs have expanded control over 90% of the capital, cutting off access to schools and government offices. In many regions, literacy teachers fear entering communities dominated by armed groups.

The government’s new literacy campaign, while ambitious, faces the same risks that have derailed previous efforts: political instability, insufficient funding and the absence of long-term planning.

A test of political will to eradicate poverty and social exclusion

Beyond basic literacy, the BSE-AENF program includes “post-literacy” components to help adults continue their education or pursue vocational training. But education advocates stress that without consistent financing and security guarantees, the program could falter like its predecessors.

In 2019, UNESCO emphasized that lowering the illiteracy rate by 2030 is a key step toward achieving sustainable development in the country.

“Literacy is not merely an educational goal. It is a political, social, and economic project.”

Antoine Augustin, Minister of Education

“This is not just an empty promise,” Clérisson insisted. “If we receive the resources, we will deliver.”

Experts say illiteracy perpetuates poverty and social exclusion, fueling the instability Haiti faces today. As violence forces families from their homes and classrooms close, the country’s dream of mass literacy — like so many others — remains precarious.

This longstanding challenge was highlighted by Antoine Augustin, who expressed his regret in September—during the 59th International Literacy Day—that illiteracy remains widespread despite more than 80 years of repeated efforts.

“Literacy is not merely an educational goal,” said Antoine Augustin, Haiti’s minister of national education. “It is a political, social, and economic project.”

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