Funding Haitian universities is a long-term investment for national development
freedom must be protected against unjustified attacks targeting university authorities, who strive to preserve higher education in Haiti despite a very difficult context.
By La Rédaction · Port-au-Prince
· 7 min read · Updated 24 April 2026
Translated from French — AI-assisted and reviewed by the editorial team. The French version is authoritative. Read the original · About our translation policy
Academic freedom must be protected against unjustified attacks targeting university authorities, who strive to preserve higher education in Haiti despite a very difficult context. It is urgent to support universities, both public and private, by keeping them out of political conflicts, as they play an essential role in research, knowledge transfer, innovation, and the country's scientific development.
For some time, the Haitian academic world has been affected by multidimensional insecurity, impacting not only faculty but also students, who are unable to cope with food and financial insecurity. The rising cost of living is the main obstacle for them. They can no longer afford both food and transportation costs.
In both public universities and private educational institutions, the situation for students is similar. Some even go an entire day without eating.
This is a sad fate for these thousands of young people who represent the seed of hope for Haiti.
Everything seems to be done to make them end up hating their country. Yet, we forget that these young people belong first to the Republic before belonging to their parents. How can one expect good cognitive performance and academic success in such a situation?
In this period of crisis, state support, through equitable funding of our universities, must be encouraged. It even becomes an obligation. The funding for the State University of Haiti, which comes predominantly from the Haitian state, remains insufficient. With the security crisis, the majority of its faculties' premises are occupied by bandits. This is a catastrophe. The State is gravely failing in its duty to protect.
Because of this paralysis, the budgets of private universities are considerably reduced. Some of them will not be able to last long without state aid. This is the case for Quisqueya University, a non-profit institution whose funding depends on private sector partners and international support. Without funding, Quisqueya University will have to close its doors. Genuine support for our educational institutions is an urgent necessity.
Quisqueya University in crisis
According to some information, CORPUHA reportedly received a subsidy of 400 million gourdes from the Haitian state. I see nothing abnormal in this per se. The essential thing is that these funds are used in accordance with the objective for which they were granted. Furthermore, citizens who question the funding of universities with public funds and the use of these resources are within their rights. This vigilance is not reprehensible: the public legitimately has a right to information. According to information communicated by Quisqueya University, founder of CORPUHA, the latter had kept itself apart from this operation and had not received any contribution in this context. Quisqueya University, whose name was cited in the media as having received state funds, is a non-profit institution recognized as being of public utility, working in higher education in Haiti. It is an institution recognized and appreciated for the value and quality of the education it provides. The institution is composed of a faculty among the most qualified in the country. It is a fine Haitian effort, like so many others. Founded by agronomist Jacques Édouard Alexis, it is today directed by Rector Jacky Lumarque, a remarkable figure of the Haitian intelligentsia. He is a man whose competence and probity are widely recognized. I do not teach at Quisqueya University, not out of refusal, but simply because constitutional law, the branch of law I love most, is already solidly represented there by a chair that has brought together great specialists in constitutional law in Haiti. Therefore, there is no void to fill. But I am intellectually very close to the various academic authorities who work there, which allows me to have certain information about its operation. Quisqueya University has neither shareholders nor owners who could benefit from received subsidies in the form of dividends or other similar income. Unlike a for-profit private company, the subsidy is entirely absorbed by academic activities. According to my understanding, the economic management model chosen by Quisqueya does not allow it to subsist solely on tuition fees, which are less than 1,500 US dollars per year for an international-level bachelor's degree. This is why, to ensure its sustainability, it constantly seeks other resources from its research projects, national or foreign private grants. This information is not widely known to the public. In a politically polarized country, where triviality rages, it is important for the University to communicate more with the public and annually publish the details of its operations. The State must come to the rescue
We are all aware that, for over four years, due to insecurity, Quisqueya University has been operating with barely a quarter of its regular staff, which has endangered its functioning. It has successively had to resort to funding from an American foundation and several companies in the Haitian private sector, who understood the necessity of supporting such an institution to prevent the cessation of its activities. Faced with a situation that threatens the existence of this reference institution, isn't it primarily the role of the State to come to its rescue? Quisqueya University carries out serious work in service of society. I hope that Rector Jacky Lumarque, or one of the officials of this university, will break their silence to better inform our community about the contributions of this institution to the State and society. Documents consulted as part of my research show that this institution has made a significant contribution to the Haitian state and the private sector. Among its main achievements are the operation, for over ten years and without subsidy, of a chair for constitutional studies, the annual granting of scholarships to disadvantaged students and state officials, as well as various services provided free of charge to public administration. It also conducted, over seven years, extensive survey and analysis work on the territorial communities of Haiti, resulting in over 8,000 pages of data and reports. The financial situation of Haitian universities is concerning. Public universities depend almost entirely on the State, whose limited intervention capacities we know. The State also cannot fully meet the needs of all private universities. Yet, the contribution of the latter is considerable. There is no doubt that the rapid development of private universities such as Quisqueya University, the Aristide Foundation University (UNIFA), or Notre-Dame University contributes to the democratization of knowledge in Haiti. Within the framework of public funding for private universities, I advocate for particular attention to be given to the Wesleyan Hospital School of Nursing in La Gonâve. This provincial institution has distinguished itself by the quality of the training it offers. Covering its educational costs would allow this institution to welcome more students and better meet the public health needs of the Gonavian communities. There will nevertheless be frustrations, legitimate ones at that, given the limited resources available to the State to meet the numerous demands addressed to it. Funding is important, but above all, we must restore order and security in the country. How can the problem of professors with such low salaries be resolved? As a professor of constitutional law at the Faculty of Law and Economics of the State University of Haiti, I receive an amount of 11,500 gourdes. At UNIFA, this amount is around 10,000 gourdes. The situation is no better in other universities. Being a teacher in Haiti requires many sacrifices. To avoid any confusion in subsidies granted to the private sector, the State must always distinguish its support based on whether the institution is for-profit or non-profit, to ensure that the subsidy benefits users and not shareholders or owners. This distinction is important. Diversify funding sources
In Canada, the government has implemented a much more effective funding system than ours. There are no public universities in Canada, but these institutions primarily rely on funding from the private sector, supplemented by state contributions. These are common practices in North American universities, also found in Latin America and the Caribbean. Haiti has no choice but to help private universities and increase the budget of public universities if it wants to remain competitive. Diversifying funding sources is an important lever enabling universities to meet their needs. We must encourage the State to invest in the university education of Haitian youth. We must not be demagogic. This funding must be based on an approach centered on the performance and mission of institutions, while taking into account priority sectors and scientific studies related to the needs of society and national development. Let us first respect the institutions and the women and men who invest in the future of our Republic, structure academic and social life, and train the skills necessary for the market. Funding universities is a wise investment for long-term national development. Let us encourage our universities instead of destroying them! When a nation abandons its universities, it compromises its own collective intelligence and mortgages its future. Destroying higher education is to permanently weaken the very foundations of the Republic. Sonet Saint-Louis av
Professor of Constitutional Law and Advanced Legal Research Methodology at the Faculty of Law and Economics of the State University of Haiti
Professor of Philosophy
Université du Québec à Montréal
According to some information, CORPUHA reportedly received a subsidy of 400 million gourdes from the Haitian state. I see nothing abnormal in this per se. The essential thing is that these funds are used in accordance with the objective for which they were granted. Furthermore, citizens who question the funding of universities with public funds and the use of these resources are within their rights. This vigilance is not reprehensible: the public legitimately has a right to information. According to information communicated by Quisqueya University, founder of CORPUHA, the latter had kept itself apart from this operation and had not received any contribution in this context. Quisqueya University, whose name was cited in the media as having received state funds, is a non-profit institution recognized as being of public utility, working in higher education in Haiti. It is an institution recognized and appreciated for the value and quality of the education it provides. The institution is composed of a faculty among the most qualified in the country. It is a fine Haitian effort, like so many others. Founded by agronomist Jacques Édouard Alexis, it is today directed by Rector Jacky Lumarque, a remarkable figure of the Haitian intelligentsia. He is a man whose competence and probity are widely recognized. I do not teach at Quisqueya University, not out of refusal, but simply because constitutional law, the branch of law I love most, is already solidly represented there by a chair that has brought together great specialists in constitutional law in Haiti. Therefore, there is no void to fill. But I am intellectually very close to the various academic authorities who work there, which allows me to have certain information about its operation. Quisqueya University has neither shareholders nor owners who could benefit from received subsidies in the form of dividends or other similar income. Unlike a for-profit private company, the subsidy is entirely absorbed by academic activities. According to my understanding, the economic management model chosen by Quisqueya does not allow it to subsist solely on tuition fees, which are less than 1,500 US dollars per year for an international-level bachelor's degree. This is why, to ensure its sustainability, it constantly seeks other resources from its research projects, national or foreign private grants. This information is not widely known to the public. In a politically polarized country, where triviality rages, it is important for the University to communicate more with the public and annually publish the details of its operations. The State must come to the rescue
We are all aware that, for over four years, due to insecurity, Quisqueya University has been operating with barely a quarter of its regular staff, which has endangered its functioning. It has successively had to resort to funding from an American foundation and several companies in the Haitian private sector, who understood the necessity of supporting such an institution to prevent the cessation of its activities. Faced with a situation that threatens the existence of this reference institution, isn't it primarily the role of the State to come to its rescue? Quisqueya University carries out serious work in service of society. I hope that Rector Jacky Lumarque, or one of the officials of this university, will break their silence to better inform our community about the contributions of this institution to the State and society. Documents consulted as part of my research show that this institution has made a significant contribution to the Haitian state and the private sector. Among its main achievements are the operation, for over ten years and without subsidy, of a chair for constitutional studies, the annual granting of scholarships to disadvantaged students and state officials, as well as various services provided free of charge to public administration. It also conducted, over seven years, extensive survey and analysis work on the territorial communities of Haiti, resulting in over 8,000 pages of data and reports. The financial situation of Haitian universities is concerning. Public universities depend almost entirely on the State, whose limited intervention capacities we know. The State also cannot fully meet the needs of all private universities. Yet, the contribution of the latter is considerable. There is no doubt that the rapid development of private universities such as Quisqueya University, the Aristide Foundation University (UNIFA), or Notre-Dame University contributes to the democratization of knowledge in Haiti. Within the framework of public funding for private universities, I advocate for particular attention to be given to the Wesleyan Hospital School of Nursing in La Gonâve. This provincial institution has distinguished itself by the quality of the training it offers. Covering its educational costs would allow this institution to welcome more students and better meet the public health needs of the Gonavian communities. There will nevertheless be frustrations, legitimate ones at that, given the limited resources available to the State to meet the numerous demands addressed to it. Funding is important, but above all, we must restore order and security in the country. How can the problem of professors with such low salaries be resolved? As a professor of constitutional law at the Faculty of Law and Economics of the State University of Haiti, I receive an amount of 11,500 gourdes. At UNIFA, this amount is around 10,000 gourdes. The situation is no better in other universities. Being a teacher in Haiti requires many sacrifices. To avoid any confusion in subsidies granted to the private sector, the State must always distinguish its support based on whether the institution is for-profit or non-profit, to ensure that the subsidy benefits users and not shareholders or owners. This distinction is important. Diversify funding sources
In Canada, the government has implemented a much more effective funding system than ours. There are no public universities in Canada, but these institutions primarily rely on funding from the private sector, supplemented by state contributions. These are common practices in North American universities, also found in Latin America and the Caribbean. Haiti has no choice but to help private universities and increase the budget of public universities if it wants to remain competitive. Diversifying funding sources is an important lever enabling universities to meet their needs. We must encourage the State to invest in the university education of Haitian youth. We must not be demagogic. This funding must be based on an approach centered on the performance and mission of institutions, while taking into account priority sectors and scientific studies related to the needs of society and national development. Let us first respect the institutions and the women and men who invest in the future of our Republic, structure academic and social life, and train the skills necessary for the market. Funding universities is a wise investment for long-term national development. Let us encourage our universities instead of destroying them! When a nation abandons its universities, it compromises its own collective intelligence and mortgages its future. Destroying higher education is to permanently weaken the very foundations of the Republic. Sonet Saint-Louis av
Professor of Constitutional Law and Advanced Legal Research Methodology at the Faculty of Law and Economics of the State University of Haiti
Professor of Philosophy
Université du Québec à Montréal
