Education in Haiti

Education in Haiti
Ministry of National Education
Minister of National Education & Professional TrainingAntoine Augustin
General details
Primary languagesFrench, Creole
Literacy (2015)
Total60.7% (est. 2015)[1]
Primary88%[2]
[1]

The Haitian Educational System yields the lowest total rate in the education realm of the Western Hemisphere.[3] Haiti's literacy rate of about 61% (64.3% for males and 57.3% for females) is below the 90% average literacy rate for Latin American and Caribbean countries.[1] The country faces shortages in educational supplies and qualified teachers. The rural population is less educated than the urban.[3] The 2010 Haiti earthquake exacerbated the already constrained parameters on Haiti's educational system by destroying infrastructure and displacing 50–90% of the students, depending on locale.

International private schools (run by Canada, France, or the United States) and church-run schools educate 90% of students.[3] Haiti has 15,200 primary schools, of which 90% are non-public and managed by communities, religious organizations or NGOs.[4] The enrollment rate for primary school is 88%.[2] Secondary schools enroll 20% of eligible-age children.[citation needed] Higher education is provided by universities and other public and private institutions.

The educational sector is under the responsibility of the Ministère de l'Éducation Nationale et de la Formation Professionnelle (MENFP).[5] The Ministry provides very little funds to support public education. As a result, the private sector has become a substitute for governmental public investment in education as opposed to an addition.[6] The Ministry is limited in its ability to improve the quality of education in Haiti.[7]

Despite the deficiencies of the Haitian education sector, some Haitian leaders have attempted to make improving education a national goal. The country has attempted three major reform efforts, with a new one in progress as a response to the earthquake.[7][8]

  1. ^ a b c "The World Factbook". Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  2. ^ a b "Haiti boosts health and education in the past decade, says new UNDP report". United Nations Development Programme. Archived from the original on 31 May 2015. Retrieved 30 May 2015.
  3. ^ a b c Haiti country profile. Library of Congress Federal Research Division (May 2006). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  4. ^ "Education: Overview". United States Agency for International Development. Archived from the original on 17 October 2007. Retrieved 15 November 2007.
  5. ^ "MENFP". Ministre de l'Éducation Nationale et de la Formation Professionnelle. Archived from the original on 16 May 2014. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  6. ^ Salmi, Jamil. 2000. "Equity and Quality in Private Education: the Haitian paradox." A Journal of Comparative Education 30:163–178.
  7. ^ a b Luzincourt, K., & Gulbrandson, J. 2010. Education and Conflict in Haiti. Retrieved 30 October 2012.[1]
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference HDER was invoked but never defined (see the help page).