In the continued efforts to rebuild the educational system, the Organization of American States (OAS), with the support of the Haitian government, recently presented certificates to the first group of teachers that successfully completed the certificate program in Building Capacity for Teaching and Learning, in a ceremony in Port-au-Prince.

The program, done in collaboration with Teachers Without Borders (TWB), was tailored to meet the needs of new teachers in Haiti. The program also contained a "train the trainer" component which prepared participants to train other teachers in schools and communities, increasing teaching personnel through peer-learning.

"We thank the OAS and TWB for giving us the opportunity to pursue this program," said Agella Ternela, a Haitian teacher from the city of Jacmel. "It helps us to identify our weaknesses. It also allows us to set new objectives, to improve our classroom management and to come up with new evaluation methods. We are already seeing the results," she added.

Dr. Frantz Casseus, Chief of Staff of the Education Minister, commended the OAS for this initiative and echoed his ministry's continued support for the program.

Over the next three years, the OAS will provide training for more than 260 teachers. The next three cohorts will take place in March, July, and November 2012.

This new program provides the type of rebuilding assistance hoped for in the months following last year's earthquake, but was delayed while the country tried to reorganize its government structure and elect a new government. As the new Michel Martelly administration settles in Haiti, seven months after he was elected president, and two months since Garry Conille was appointed prime minister, more international organizations have begun projects, in conjunction with the government, that focus on long term goals for the country's recovery.

The ceremony was attended by representatives of the Haitian Ministries of Education and Planning, OAS Member States and Observer States, the private sector, and the media.