School didn’t start today. For the seventh Monday since the quake, schools in Anses-a-Galets sat empty. Classes, which were scheduled to restart today, March first, were delayed again.
According to Pastor Keno at the Wesleyan Church in town schools cannot start until school leaders find time to repair them. Compared to schools in other parts of the country, the damage to the Wesleyan school is minimal. One classroom littered with fallen cement blocks and a few cracked buildings present the school with problems that pale in comparison to the flattened universities in Port Au Prince. But the school faces challenges nonetheless.
Without students, schools are facing financial difficulties. Since no tuition money is coming in, school leaders have little funding to support laid-off teachers and fund building projects. In addition to that many of the potential paying students are not yet ready for serious study. “You cannot ask them to sit in a class,” explained Pastor Mikael another leader at the Wesleyan Church in town. These students, who are coping with anything from the loss of friends to increased family members in their homes to the occasional aftershock reminding them life is not the same, are not yet ready for intensive instruction.
On the other hand, it is not good for the students to sit and think too much. “They need some activities,” explained another pastor. Without school and without a normal routine, some students find themselves in empty homes with too much time to reflect on the events of the last two months. Life is on hold indefinitely.
If you could, please pray for the students and schools in this country. Pray that God would give students hope and determination as they look ahead. Pray that leaders know the best timing to restart classes. Pray for teachers and the families of those who have been without work since the schools have been closed. And pray for the future of the education system in Haiti. This could be a good time to make changes.
Thanks for your continued concern!
Justine
