On Education

Let's face it the Haitian school system sucks! Massive changes in this sector are needed for Haiti to move forward. Those changes will not have a serious impact for generations to come, but without them Haiti will continue its regressive course. Since taking over as Director of Norwich Mission House here in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, I've learned a great deal about the Haitian education system.

Some of the basics are; students are graded on a 1 through 10 scale, 5.5 is the annual general average required by the state to pass, and 6th, 9th, 12th & 13th students need to pass the national exam to continue on to the next grade. I've also learned about many of the barriers to entry, such as without a uniform you can't attend school, the average tuition ranges from $275 to $350 US dollars which on the high end is 82% of Haitian's average per capita income of $425, and some teachers reserve the right to deny you entry

into class if you can't afford to buy the appropriate book.

At Norwich Mission House, I run a neighborhood scholarship program that sends over 120 primary and secondary students to school. Just the other day, in compliance with our scholarship program's rules, students and parents began submitting report cards for the 1st semester. And as I reviewed 10 report cards one day, I identified 5 errors in how the school calculated the students' grades. The errors were not in favor of the student in any case and ranged from .01 points to an entire 1/2 point. Living in Haiti, the surprise for such absurdity is dwindling. However, I couldn't help but feel a tinge of anger. There are enough barriers to education in this country, poor math skills on the part of the school should not be another.

So what is the solution? We can talk about changing the rote curriculum, increasing the government's education budget, focusing more on private education, and other big issues, but I suggest something smaller and possibly more powerful; parents. If parents collectively confront an issue, such as uniform costs, books, and grades things can change. But it is first the responsibility of the parents to identify these issues and then find the power within themselves, become aware of their neighbors' plight and realize their right to demand better services for their children's education. Essentially create a PTA, a common organization in so many other places. What will it take to get Haitians to do the same?

Matt Marek

Haiti Innovation