Global Education Executives
HAITI
Haiti, the most populous country in the Caribbean, has had its fair share of internal struggle as a country; although originally inhabited by the Taino people, Christopher Columbus’ discovery of Haiti in 1492 has led to multiple historical turning points for the country, including Spanish rule, French rule, and later the only slave revolt in history that would win independence as a country. Despite its attempts to stabilize its economy and societal status since its independence, any advances towards development have further been shattered by the devastating earthquake of 2021 and a couple of epidemics, including COVID-19. With its history of political instability, chronic poverty, and exposure to natural disasters, Haiti unfortunately remains one of the poorest landscapes in the world for quality education, with no immediate future for improvement. With a lack of many government-assisted programs, such as public healthcare and housing, and access to basic nutritional needs, the people must focus on mere survival over education.
Furthermore, as the poorest ranking country in the Western hemisphere, Haiti’s education system is further set back as the government only allocates 10% of its economy towards education, making their public schools poor in quality and unmotivating for students to attend. Interestingly enough, however, private institutions (mostly funded by Americans and Canadians) make up for almost 90% of the education of Haitian students. Even with external help, though, this creates a problem as most families cannot afford private institutions, thus creating a stark divide between the education level of those who attend private schools and those who attend public schools. The government’s inability to fund the schools and pay their teachers further widens the gap between the quality of education within the country.
Nevertheless, some organizations seek to improve the education situation in Haiti; University of the People, an online university that is dedicated to providing free education, provides scholarships for students in Haiti. The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has also sent school supplies to over 400 schools in Haiti, serving an average of 35,000 students. Lastly, the Haitian government itself has also instituted a teaching program, MENFP, that is dedicated to improving the quality of teaching personnel across the country.
Despite the dire state of the country, Haiti is slowly making improvements towards its education system; recovery from uncontrollable factors is a slow process, one that requires time and resilience. In order to provide quality education, Haiti must first recover the people and country itself, and then tackle the steps towards an education that is accessible for all its students.
References
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USAID (n.d.). Haiti: Education. United States Agency for International Development. https://www.usaid.gov/haiti/education
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Wikipedia (n.d.). Haiti. Wikipedia.com. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Haiti
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Writers of UOPeople (June 19, 2024). Education in Haiti: An Overview. University of the People. https://www.uopeople.edu/blog/education-in-haiti/