Diversity and Access
At one cramped public school in the North Department of the country, a 3rd grade teacher, who asked not to be named, pointed to his classroom full of students and whispered, "Look at how many children I have. I don't know how many there are in here. Maybe one hundred. Maybe more?"
3rd Grade Haitian Teacher
North Department, Haiti
Diversity
HISTORY OF INEQUALITY
Throughout Haiti's history, the elite and upper class have systematically deprived the lower classes of quality education. Once Haiti gained independence, the only educational structure in place was a tradition of sending the sons of elite citizens to France. Money that was allocated to rural schools, was taken back for other purposes such as politics and the military.
DIVERSITY TODAY
Women and children are Haiti's most vulnerable populations. Many reside in tent cities with little access to basic needs such as clean water, food, and adequate shelter and protection. Education is a top priority in most Haitian families, however, these basic needs must be addressed first before families can consider financing their children's educations.
Access
ACCESS TO EDUCATION POST-QUAKE
Facilities
The 2010 earthquake in Haiti destroyed about 90% of the schools in Port-au-Prince, the nation's capital. To date, many schools still have yet to be rebuilt.
Teachers
The InterAmerican Development Bank estimated in 2010 that half of teachers only had a 9th grade education. It has also been found that teachers in rural schools are essentially illiterate themselves. Additionally, those who would be successful teachers leave. It is estimated that 80-86% of Haitian with a secondary education leave the country.
Cost
Cost is one of the main factors that hinders access to education. The average cost of tuition for school in Haiti is $135/year, which can be a huge burden on family finances. To put this in perspective, average annual per capita income is only $1,300. Because of this, tuition costs can consume 30-50% of a household's budget.
Public vs. Private School System
Haiti does not have a fully functioning public school system, but instead a loose network of private, for-profit schools. Because of the government's current budget and facilities, public schools only educate 19% of the students in Haiti. Even if Haiti wanted to implement a public school system for the masses, it would be unable to due to budget and resource constraints. Right now, they would only be able to increase capacity to 25% of students.
Increasing Accessibility
WORLD BANK WAIVER PROGRAMS
The World Bank has noted that waiver programs that cover school fee costs have shown to be a successful initiative in increasing access for many Haitian families. Since most schools are private in Haiti, the schools must charge fees since they do not receive funding from the government. Therefore, public financing of nonpublic services might be one of the best approaches in order to increase education accessibility. The World Bank partnered with the Caribbean Development Bank in 2007 to fund a successful tuition waiver program that increased enrollment rates from 78% to 90%.
SOURCES
Cook, M. (1948). Review of Instruction Publique en Haiti, 1492-1945, by Edner Brutus. The Journal of Negro History, 33:3.
Doucet, F., & Dublin, J.A. (2012). Who decides? Defining the promises and perils of autonomy, engagement, and institutional change in Haiti post-quake. Journal of Haitian Studies, 18:1.
World Bank. (2012). Four things you need to know about education in Haiti.
Franz, P. (2010). Improving access to education in Haiti. Retrieved from http://pulitzercenter.org/blog/untold-stories/improving-access-education-haiti
McNulty, B. (2011). The education of poverty: rebuilding Haiti's school system after it's total collapse. Retrieved from http://www.fletcherforum.org/2011/01/20/mcnulty/