According to the 2010-2011 census of the Education sector in Haiti, there are some 16'000 identified schools in the country for nearly 3’200’000 registered children. Out of these 16’000 schools, only 12% are public and free of charge. Public schools take in charge nearly 21% of the total numbers of pupils, with an average rate of 40 children per classrooms/teacher. The majority of the Education facilities in Haiti are run by non-public institutions, principally churches but also community-based and private schools. The quality of the Education and the physical condition of the infrastructure are very variable. Only 70% of the schools are functioning in dedicated spaces, while 10% are still functioning in informal space under a tree. However, only few classrooms are up to adequate standards in terms of space, natural light and ventilation. The deficiency of the public offer for Education facilities, coupled with the fees collected by the non-public schools, prevent between 400’000 and 500’000 children to access basic Education.
In Haiti, the efforts to increase the public offer and construct new schools are regularly annihilate by the disasters. According to a 2010 World Bank report, during the last decade, while the MoE constructed less than 500 schools, the 2008 Hurricanes left nearly 1’000 schools damaged and other 120 destroyed, and the 2010 earthquake left 6’000 schools damaged and other 2’000 destroyed.