Haiti is a Caribbean country battling deficient education quality following two massive earthquakes in 2010 and 2021 and the 2020 pandemic continues to have residual effects on the country’s education system.

These events have caused a significant decrease in Haiti’s Human Capital Index (HCI). Human capital is essentially the skills and experiences citizens develop that can benefit countries and their infrastructures, an example being a country having quality education. Countries with higher human capital allow citizens to excel in productivity, which will, in turn, benefit countries economically.

In Haiti, the HCI is 0.4 out of 0.8, meaning there needs to be more effort in developing a quality education for Haitian students. According to the World Bank, “a child born today in Haiti will grow up to be only 45% as productive as they could be if he or she had enjoyed full access to quality education and health care.” This statistic represents the importance of bettering Haiti’s education system.

Facts About Haiti’s Education System

According to Schools for Haiti (a non-profit organization focusing on religious teachings), “the enrollment rate for a primary school in Haiti is 57% and fewer than 30% of the students reach 6th grade.”

The low enrollment in Haiti is because of the lack of public education. Most schools in Haiti are private and require tuition payments for children to attend, which many families cannot afford. According to Reuters, “most Haitian citizens live on less than $3 per day,” and the cost of private schooling can range from $1,400.00 in inner-city areas to $552.00 in the countryside annually in Haiti.

Currently, violent gangs grow staggeringly as the government is in shambles following the pandemic and the assassination of their President, Jovenel Moïse, in 2021. The weak government leadership has allowed Haitian gangs to dominate Haiti’s food supplies, money circulation and schools. The power these gangs have over the education system is tremendous; children are being recruited into gangs as it is the only organization providing food and protection to citizens and schools are dealing with raids, leaving the students in dangerous situations.

Violent Attacks

UNICEF reports that within the past year in Port-au-Prince, Haiti’s capital and most populated city: “72 schools have been targeted, compared to eight during the same four-month period the year before. This includes at least 13 schools targeted by armed groups, one school that was set on fire, one student who was killed and a school in which two staff members were kidnapped.”

In response to these violent attacks, many schools have shut down to protect the students and their staff. In the same report, UNICEF states, “In the first six days of February alone, 30 schools were shuttered as a result of escalating violence in urban areas, whereas since last year October, it has been found that 1 in 4 schools has remained closed.”

The Importance of Education in Haiti

Education is the key to social mobility for many, especially in underdeveloped countries where they understand the privilege of quality education. In an article by Joseph Burns, a writer for New Trader U, “Quality education plays an integral role in nurturing generations of minds. While the classroom provides structured learning, gaining knowledge is a lifelong endeavor that brings immense personal fulfillment.”

Education is a vehicle for a better future for their children, so many parents in Haiti are adamant about paying for their education despite the high expense. The children in Haiti have numerous obstacles to earning a quality education.

The Osaka Foundation

Over the years, there has been a great effort to create a more stable free education experience for Haitian children that can manifest a bright future for Haiti’s children. Many organizations and nonprofits plan on bringing high and equal education to Haiti’s students. Garry Jules is the coordinator and VP of Business Development of The Osaka Foundation. The Osaka Foundation is a non-profit organization in Jacmel that educates children ages 5 to 11 in sports, music, technology and primary education to empower and inspire Haiti’s youth.

Jules expresses concern with the violent events in Haiti but wishes many to know that is not the only aspect of Haiti. There is so much untapped brilliance in Haiti’s children, academically and physically. They are just not allowed to express it within the current academic structure. Jules spoke with the Borgen Project, saying, “We cannot just be the subject in the news for them; we must get involved. So, one of our missions is to reach out to students in the diaspora, in general, to make changes.”

The Osaka Foundation supports incorporating sports in their education program to show alternative ways students can learn, as sports are one of the more popular activities to entertain themselves throughout their days. Jules emphasizes the importance of Haitians working with what they currently have. Strengthening the education of sports can bring hope to the students and their futures: “Allow them to become professional athletes if they can benefit from a scholarship from other universities in the world and then that’s a way for them to promote Haiti socially too,” Jules states.

Conclusion

Haiti’s education system faces struggles, but they are endeavors the Haitian community is willing to battle to bring in quality education and future generations that can shine a light on Haiti’s unique attributes and capabilities.

– Jessica Jean-Baptiste
Photo: Flickr