Residents of the lower Northwest no longer have to travel all the way to Port-de-Paix for school paperwork. The Ministry of Education has opened a new office in Jean-Rabel to serve four remote communes: Jean-Rabel, Môle-Saint-Nicolas, Bombardopolis and Baie-de-Henne.

The ministry established the office in late September. Until now, a single departmental office in Port-de-Paix served all 10 communes of the Northwest, as far as 70 miles away for some families over poorly maintained roads. The new office should cut the distance by more than half.

“I am very happy that we will be able to handle many administrative matters without traveling to Port-de-Paix,” said Ricksen Julien, a father of two students at the Louis Joseph Janvier public high school in Jean-Rabel. “Education should not be a luxury.”

Wilfred Lordéus, a school inspector in Môle-Saint-Nicolas, said the office will make it easier to process data and will lighten the load on the departmental office. If it is properly equipped, he said, it could also improve the organization of official exams.

Officials and teachers say an office alone will not fix the region's problems. Many public schools lack adequate buildings and materials, and teachers complain of irregular pay. “Those already employed work under poor conditions,” said Guillaire Oscar, a teacher and union member for 14 years.

“We cannot simply focus on the new positions created,” said Wilner Julmisse, deputy departmental director of education, at the inauguration. “We need to get to work to ensure that educational services reach communities at the local level.”