Two New National Schools Inaugurated in South and Nippes Departments

Haitian authorities inaugurated two new national schools on May 6, 2026: the Ducis National School in the South Department and the Plaisance National School in Nippes Department. Each facility includes nine classrooms, preschool areas, cafeterias, and solar power systems — a rare positive development in Haiti's education infrastructure at a time when over 1,600 schools nationwide have been shuttered due to gang violence, affecting approximately 243,000 students. The inaugurations reflect limited but continuing state capacity in areas outside gang-controlled zones, particularly in the south and south-central regions that have remained more stable than Port-au-Prince and the Artibonite. UNICEF estimates approximately 2.6 million Haitian children require humanitarian assistance, with 277,000 children under five affected by acute malnutrition and 125,000 suffering from severe acute malnutrition requiring treatment. The new schools serve communities where educational access has been disrupted by crisis-driven displacement and chronic underfunding.