From diagnotic evidence to Action: driving a systemic curriculum reform in fragile contexts – the Haitian case

• In Event: Governing and Leading Education Reform: Policy, Partnerships, and Peace in Complex Systems

Proposal

Abstract
This proposal presents Haiti’s national curriculum reform process, grounded in a systemic vision of educational transformation and initiated through a diagnostic approach supported by the UNESCO International Bureau of Education (UNESCO-BIE) in 2022. It highlights methodological innovations that enabled a systemic understanding of curriculum gaps, the main findings of this diagnosis, and their role in shaping the curriculum reform roadmap (2025–2030). The Haitian case demonstrates how research, when rigorously designed and contextually attuned, can inform and sustain reform in fragile settings. It also examines theoretical dimensions of curriculum coherence and viability in contexts marked by urgency, instability, and security concerns, showing how diagnostic methodologies can foster inclusive, context-responsive, and realistic trajectories for change. A distinctive feature is that the entire process -diagnosis and reform- was largely coordinated remotely by UNESCO-BIE experts through digital platforms, creating a model for sustaining reform in insecure environments. Testing these propositions over the coming years will support an evidence-based approach to systemic curriculum transformation, balancing immediate concerns with long-term aspirations.
Background and Rationale
Haiti’s education system faces persistent challenges: political instability, insecurity, natural disasters, and underinvestment, with an outdated curriculum marked by incoherence across cycles, overload, and weak alignment between what is prescribed, taught, and learned. These fragilities weaken governance and exacerbate inequalities. In this context, the Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training (MENFP) identified curriculum reform as a national priority, beginning with a new curriculum framework. Supported by IDB funding and UNESCO-BIE technical assistance, MENFP launched a national curriculum diagnosis not only to map misalignments but also to lay the foundations for a participatory, systemic reform aligned with national needs and Sustainable Development Goal 4.
Methodological Framework for Diagnosis
A comprehensive diagnosis of official documents and classroom practices was carried out remotely by UNESCO-BIE experts in close collaboration with national researchers, ensuring ownership despite fragile conditions. The five-phase methodology adapted UNESCO-BIE’s Guide méthodologique pour le diagnostic curriculaire (Miled & Compaoré, 2022):
1. Participatory preparation co-constructed analytical grids, interview protocols, and observation tools with national partners to ensure contextual relevance.
2. Document analysis reviewed 57 policy texts, 51 curriculum guides, and 324 textbooks for coherence, validity, alignment with the COCSÉH framework, and integration of equity and sustainability.
3. Field data: 225 interviews across five regions with teachers, students, directors, inspectors, and parents, transcribed and coded to capture lived experiences.
4. Classroom observations (n=223) applied the World Bank’s Teach Primary and CLASS frameworks to analyze emotional support, organization, and instructional quality.
5. Synthesis and validation triangulated findings in a national workshop with institutional actors.
This mixed-methods approach integrated macro-policy and micro-pedagogical perspectives, producing a multi-level analysis. The remote coordination dimension -using digital platforms such as WhatsApp and Teams- was an innovation that allowed continuity of dialogue, co-construction, and follow-up despite insecurity and logistical constraints.
Key Findings
The diagnostic revealed major tensions between intentions and realities:
• The curricular framework (COCSÉH) offers coherence at the policy level, especially in upper primary, but fragmentation and overload affect pre-primary and lower primary.
• Textbooks and teacher guides often diverge from intended pedagogy and vary in quality, creating inconsistencies.
• Teachers found the curriculum abstract, disconnected from student realities, and overly demanding. Competency-based learning was poorly understood, while practices remained lecture-based.
• Observations confirmed transmissive teaching, limited autonomy, and scarce play-based activities, especially in pre-primary. Instructional support scores were low, raising concerns about quality.
From Diagnosis to Change
The diagnostic generated six strategic recommendations:
1. Clarify and reinforce the national framework, ensuring alignment between cycles and coherence with COCSÉH.
2. Revise early grade content, simplify progression, adopt a spiral approach, and integrate life skills and local knowledge.
3. Improve quality and alignment of teaching materials through stricter quality control.
4. Strengthen teacher training (initial and in-service) with emphasis on competency-based learning, active pedagogy, and differentiated instruction.
5. Develop a coherent evaluation system linking formative, summative, and certifying assessments.
6. Improve teaching conditions (class size, infrastructure, psychosocial climate) while reinforcing supervision.
Current Reform Phase – Theoretical Reflections and Practice
Based on these findings, a reform roadmap was developed, and MENFP began implementation by rewriting preschool and primary curricula with UNESCO-BIE assistance. The reform emphasizes curricular coherence -horizontal (across subjects and grades) and vertical (across system levels)- and curriculum viability in fragile contexts where models must be tested against realities. Support also extends to program design, teaching materials, and teacher capacity-building.
In Haiti’s security context, UNESCO-BIE devised a remote monitoring methodology with local actors. This distance-based follow-up, conducted via WhatsApp and Teams, required adaptative management, new methods and coordination to ensure implementation.
The current (2025–2027) UNESCO-BIE supported reform is structured around six stages:
1. Establish operational governance through a National Coordination Committee with reinforced monitoring, communication, and logistical support.
2. Rewrite programs for the first two fundamental cycles using spiral and competency-based approaches, piloted before validation.
3. Develop textbooks and teacher guides aligned with new programs, approved by a specialized committee.
4. Revise initial teacher education to prepare future teachers for new requirements.
5. Create modules for teacher trainers to strengthen continuous professional development.
6. Promote the use of Creole as a language of instruction, supported by evidence and a national awareness campaign.
Conclusion
The Haitian experience shows the value of a systemic and participatory approach to curriculum reform, where diagnostic evidence drives coherent, viable, and context-responsive action. By linking research directly to reform steps, and by relying on remote monitoring methods adapted to insecurity, the process demonstrates how fragile contexts can sustain systemic change.
Beyond Haiti, this case enriches global debates on curriculum coherence and reform viability, while offering methodological lessons -participatory diagnosis, evidence-based roadmaps, and innovative coordination- for education systems facing instability. It also underscores the importance of aligning reform ambitions with realities on the ground, ensuring that systemic transformation remains both inclusive and sustainable.

Authors

• Amapola Alama, International Bureau of Education

• Stephane Cyr, Université du Québec à Montréal, UQAM

• Patrick Charland

• Beatrice Malebranche, IBE UNESCO

• Marie Tamagnan, Inter-American Development Bank