Haitian Educational System

In Haiti, though the education system has gone through different reforms, many schools have steaked to the French classical model since the signing of the 1860 Concordat with Vatican until now. The school system is divided into primary and secondary schools. Compulsory education is 9 years; it includes primary and middle schools. After attending Kindergarten, the compulsory age of starting school in Haiti is 6 years old. Pupils are expected to be out of school at 18 years old

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more or less. Official examinations are required to reach each level from primary to secondary school pupils obtained three certificates in total. With these three certificates pupils are ready to apply to university.

Table 2.1.7 a

Haiti Education System (International Standard Classification for Education- ISCED)

School Level Duration (Years) Entrance Age

Pre-primary 3 3

Primary 6 6

Lower Secondary 3 12

Upper Secondary 4 15

Adapted from UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) 2018

Education. –is organized and structured by the Haitian Ministry of National Education and Professional Training (Ministere de l’Education Nationale et de la Formation Professionnelle-MENFP). However, primary and secondary education is actively and largely supported by non-state sector like international and Haitian NGOs, foundations, associations, and religious organizations. In July 2010, the American Institute for Research-AIR published a directory identifying more than a hundred organizations that were currently active in supporting primary and secondary education and school-based health activities. This table below presents a list of organizations that contributes to education in Haiti (while disregard small-scale activities benefiting less than 100 children).

49 Table 2.1.7 b

History of Education In Haiti

Colonial Era 1625-1803 Uneducated slaves; slaveholder children were homeschooled and sent to France for further study

Independence January 1, 1804

A Monitorial System in the North and a French Model in the South: 350 Schools were built, and 750 at the eve of the US Occupation

The American Occupation 1915-1934 Emphasis on Agricultural Education over the Traditional Academic Education

Post Occupation 1934-1971 The Haitian Government attempted to Expand Access to Public Education during the 1940s

Duvalier Era 1957-1986 158 New schools were built by Duvalier the Father between 1960 &1971; Duvalier ordered that any new church to build an affiliated school between 1971 and 1986

Post Duvalier The expansion of private schools increased further after the end of the Duvalier regime in 1986

Reform Efforts

Bernard Reform of 1978 tried to modernize the system, make it more efficient, and build its capacity to satisfy vast educational needs, The National Plan on Education and

Training (NPET) of 1997

a shift to a model of participatory learning based on student-centered approaches; and citizenship education

The Presidential Commission for Education in Haiti of 2008

to provide 100% enrollment of all school-age children, a free education to all, including textbooks and materials, and a hot meal daily for each child

The Operational Plan of 2010- 2015

calling for private schools to become publicly funded which would increase the access of education for all children.

Current Model of Education

The Solidarity and Subsidiarity Some private institutions are educating Haitians pupils base on the Solidarity and Subsidiarity Model.

50 Table 2.1.7 c

Organizations Supporting Education Sector in Haiti

1. ActionAid Haiti 2. Aide et Action 3. American Institutes for Research (AIR)

4. Appui Social aux Enfants Demunis 5. Armée du Salut 6. Association Corps

d’Honneur Chrétienne 13. Ayiti Education 14. Blue Ridge Haiti 15. Bureau Anglican de

l’Éducation en Haïti 29. Chances for Children 30. Christian Reform

World Relief

34. Concern Worldwide 35. Confederation des Écoles Privées 41. (FEPA) 42. Fédération des Écoles

Protestantes d’Haiti 43. Foundation Boisette 44. Foundation Boussole 45. Foundation pour la

Défense des Droits de l’Enfant (FODDE)

46. Foundation Digicel 47. Foundation Haïtienne d’Appui au

Développement Local

48. Foundation Haïtienne de l’Enseignement Privé 49. La Fondation Mortel 50. Fondation Nouveaux

Horizons

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65.Kad Timoun Nan Sid 66. Kindernothilfe (KNH) 67.LAKAY 68.Mission Évangélique Baptiste du Sud d’Haïti

71.Mission Eben-Ezer 72. Mission des Églises Baptistes Indépendantes

87. Oxfam Quebec 88. Pain aux Hommes

89. Picardo Social Club Chrétien

90. Plan d’Action pour le Développement et

l’Intégration (PADEVI)

91. Plan Haiti 92. Programme National de Cantine Scolaire 93. Pwoje Espwa de Sud 94. Rassemblement des

Amis de Petit-Goave

95. Save the Children 96. Société Haïtienne d’Aide aux Aveugles 97. SOS Village

d’Enfants Haïti 98. Soutien aux Enfants de Tabarre (SAEDT)

99. Star of Hope Haïti 100. Viva Rio 101. Yéle Haïti

Note: Adapted from “Supporting Education in Haiti: A Directory of Civil Society Organizations working in the Education Sector in Haiti” (AIR, 2010).

2.1.7.1 Foreign Influence in Haiti Education

Without wanted to deny the selective system of catholic and the inefficiency of Protestant schools, religious schools have contributed to the intellectual and spiritual of many Haitians. Although the

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current constitution (enacted in 1987) prescribes universal access to primary education free of charge, the Haitian government is not able to establish enough schools to serve all children between 6 and 11 years of age. According to the Ministry of Education, in 2003, net enrolment for this age group was 70% and, for the secondary level, it was close to 20%.3. In 2008, the Haitian State estimate the amount to 66%, but other sources estimated it to 60% of Haitian children enroll to school (Joint, 2008, p.19). With the state’s lack of institutional strength and capacity to provide basic services to the Haitian masses, the education sector has become increasingly privatized.

According to the 2002–03 education census cited by the World Bank, only 8 percent of Haitian schools were public, while approximately 92 percent were privately owned and financed, meaning they were tuition-based in most cases. (United States Institute of Peace, 2010)

The history of religion and education in Haiti retraces the origins of foreign influences over the society. Unlike many nations, Haitian officials had never put a comprehensive educational system into existence. One has to note that the new nation was isolated after becoming independent with no schools since literacy was not imperative in the colony, and the isolation period brought the entirety population into anxiety of an eventual return of the oppressors and had to pay an indemnity to the French to secure the country sovereignty. How would Haitian official in such conditions build a Haitian model of education? In 1860, Haitian leaders, to open Haiti to the rest of the world, subjected the country to Vatican by making Roman Catholic the official religion of Haiti, and paid the Catholic Church to run Haiti’s public school. In 1915, with the American occupation, US facilitated the introduction of Protestant Churches and schools to Haiti. Christianity, which originates in the Middle East and evolves in Europe, becomes the religion and culture that are taught in Haitian schools while Haitian culture, traditional religion and African history are

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excluded from the curriculum. Secular education is largely run by foreign institution or Christian organization.

As a result, Christian educations in Haiti unfortunately create social inequality. I pinpoint two main causes: the exclusion of Haitian culture (or Vodou) and Haitian Creole throughout the history of education in Haiti. Catholic schools have a long history of educating the Haitian elites, mostly due the historical alliances between Haitian officials and the Vatican to educate and evangelize the Haitian population.