Presidential
Martelly Begins Public Funded Education Program at College in Cité Soleil
- Wednesday, August 31, 2011 11:20 AM
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti (defend.ht) - President Michel Martelly launched his program of free education in the town of Cité Soleil on Tuesday at the opening of the Andrew Grene College.
"I have just been informed that each child will have to pay 3000 gourds since this school has a grant from the Andrew Grene Foundation. Now children, I tell you that you will not be charged because the state is responsible for paying the 3000 gourds during the first two years for each student," said President Michel Joseph Martelly speaking to the students of Andrew Grene College in Cité-Soleil.
Along with financial support to the students of Andrew Grene, the Head of State, announced that he will present this week a list of two hundred schools where children can attend free including 141,966 children who have never been to school.
The Head of State reiterated his commitment to make education a top priority of his presidency. Invited for a second time in three months to the inauguration of a school by the Digicel Foundation, the President justified his presence by saying, "my attention has been selected by the fact that the establishment of this school is an important step in continuing the program of fifty school centers that the company [Digicel] intends to implement to help address the problems caused by the earthquake of January 12, 2010."
"My presence here is to encourage them not to stop the program, which will be completed according to projections by this time for the construction of 80 new schools. In addition, it is a secondary school located in an environment like Cite Soleil virtually devoid of infrastructure to provide education to these young people eager to learn."
The highlight of the opening ceremony was marked by Aïs Strudley Lundgie Rose, a 15 year old high-school student, who impressed the president in a poem she wrote and eloquently declaimed. The Head of State and Chairman of Digicel Group pledged to support the girl and propose as a model for other children in Haiti.
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Source: Le Nouvelliste
