After attending a session on education today, I decided to try to get to understand the Haitian educational system. I sat with one of the locals for a while and we discussed the topic. This is what he told me:
General Information/Structure
First of all, in Haiti, the school they attend depends on their social class: there are different schools for high, middle and lower classes. The lycée is the only school that is open to everyone (regardless of their social standing), but, the problems with them are that there aren't very many of them and that they are of a rather low quality. Lycées are the only schools in Haiti that are free.
The first level of education is called primary school. This is from levels one to six. Starting about two years ago, all primary schools are free (paid for by the government). Primary school is part of fundamental school, which consists of levels one to nine. For years seven, eight and nine, they can either pay (which most people do) or go to the lycées, that, again, are free.
After fundamental school is secondary school. Again, they have to pay for all of them except the lycées. Prices for secondary school could vary from $250 a month to $250 for the entire year. Like anywhere else in the world, it depends on the quality. Secondary school is made up of 4 levels: troisieme (third), seconde (second), terminale un (terminal one) and terminale deux (terminal two). Terminal one is called 'Rheto' and the latter is called 'Philo'.
(Since only primary school is free-aside from the lycées-, some people stop their education after year six, since they can't afford the rest).
For universities, there is only one in the country that is free: the state university (L'université de l'état d'Haiti) or UEH. You can think of it as the scholarship school. They have to take a state exam and only people with scores above a certain numbers will be accepted. Those people are the tops of their class and generally only come from the schools for the higher classes. Similar to the lower schooling, the prices for university vary. Those who can't afford the other universities go to an 'école professionnelle' (professional school). They are cheaper, but not free. After university, jobs are extremely hard to find. So, even if they spent money on schools, they might not find work.
Subjects
In primary school (levels one through six), they learn five subjects: social science(/basic history), French, Creole, basic math and experimental science. After level six, they apply for a certificate. If they don't pass, they continue their fundamental school with the same five subjects they had in primary school. If they do pass, then for the rest of the fundamental school, on top of the five previously mentioned subjects, they also learn Spanish, English and biology.
In secondary school, they learn chemistry, biology, French literature and Haitian literature. In the last two years of secondary school (terminal one and two) they learn two more subjects on top of the other four: geology and philosophy.
For university, like in any other country, they choose their subject. There are twelve subjects that are offered: medicine, agronomy, civil engineering, political science, psychology, sociology, science communication, anthropology, social economics, law, diplomacy and international relations. No schools in Haiti offer Doctorate or Masters programs, they have to go abroad to get them, which many of them cannot afford.
Age
Unlike schooling systems elsewhere in the world, age does not determine what level they are in. I met...
-a 12 year old in level 8
-a 15 year old in level 5
-a 17 year old in university
-a 22 year old in level 9
As you can see, all ages are mixed.
Other Information
The majority of Haitian communities have a primary school. Secondary schools, on the other hand, are generally only found in major cities. This means that even if somebody has the money to pay for secondary schools, they may not be able to afford transportation to the city.
If they stop their education after primary school, the jobs they could find include truck drivers, factory workers, anything working with machinery and other forms of, generally, manual labour. Getting a good job requires the continuation of their studies, but, unfortunately, people can't always afford it. And as I said, even if they do continue all the way through university, finding a job afterwards will still be difficult.
Since levels one through six are free, there are several issues with primary school. The main two being that they aren't always of great quality and also that the majority of teachers don't get paid. As a result, they quit, and Haiti is facing a problem with a lack of teachers.
All in all, since school isn't mandatory, the main challenge in getting kids to attend is that they have to have motivation to want to go. If they can't afford it, they stop after level 6 which leaves them with limited options for the future. On top of that, if their parents need them to stay home and work (to help make an income for the family), then that stops them from attending as well. This is just a general introduction to the educational problems Haiti faces.
LM
General Information/Structure
First of all, in Haiti, the school they attend depends on their social class: there are different schools for high, middle and lower classes. The lycée is the only school that is open to everyone (regardless of their social standing), but, the problems with them are that there aren't very many of them and that they are of a rather low quality. Lycées are the only schools in Haiti that are free.
The first level of education is called primary school. This is from levels one to six. Starting about two years ago, all primary schools are free (paid for by the government). Primary school is part of fundamental school, which consists of levels one to nine. For years seven, eight and nine, they can either pay (which most people do) or go to the lycées, that, again, are free.
After fundamental school is secondary school. Again, they have to pay for all of them except the lycées. Prices for secondary school could vary from $250 a month to $250 for the entire year. Like anywhere else in the world, it depends on the quality. Secondary school is made up of 4 levels: troisieme (third), seconde (second), terminale un (terminal one) and terminale deux (terminal two). Terminal one is called 'Rheto' and the latter is called 'Philo'.
(Since only primary school is free-aside from the lycées-, some people stop their education after year six, since they can't afford the rest).
For universities, there is only one in the country that is free: the state university (L'université de l'état d'Haiti) or UEH. You can think of it as the scholarship school. They have to take a state exam and only people with scores above a certain numbers will be accepted. Those people are the tops of their class and generally only come from the schools for the higher classes. Similar to the lower schooling, the prices for university vary. Those who can't afford the other universities go to an 'école professionnelle' (professional school). They are cheaper, but not free. After university, jobs are extremely hard to find. So, even if they spent money on schools, they might not find work.
Subjects
In primary school (levels one through six), they learn five subjects: social science(/basic history), French, Creole, basic math and experimental science. After level six, they apply for a certificate. If they don't pass, they continue their fundamental school with the same five subjects they had in primary school. If they do pass, then for the rest of the fundamental school, on top of the five previously mentioned subjects, they also learn Spanish, English and biology.
In secondary school, they learn chemistry, biology, French literature and Haitian literature. In the last two years of secondary school (terminal one and two) they learn two more subjects on top of the other four: geology and philosophy.
For university, like in any other country, they choose their subject. There are twelve subjects that are offered: medicine, agronomy, civil engineering, political science, psychology, sociology, science communication, anthropology, social economics, law, diplomacy and international relations. No schools in Haiti offer Doctorate or Masters programs, they have to go abroad to get them, which many of them cannot afford.
Age
Unlike schooling systems elsewhere in the world, age does not determine what level they are in. I met...
-a 12 year old in level 8
-a 15 year old in level 5
-a 17 year old in university
-a 22 year old in level 9
As you can see, all ages are mixed.
Other Information
The majority of Haitian communities have a primary school. Secondary schools, on the other hand, are generally only found in major cities. This means that even if somebody has the money to pay for secondary schools, they may not be able to afford transportation to the city.
If they stop their education after primary school, the jobs they could find include truck drivers, factory workers, anything working with machinery and other forms of, generally, manual labour. Getting a good job requires the continuation of their studies, but, unfortunately, people can't always afford it. And as I said, even if they do continue all the way through university, finding a job afterwards will still be difficult.
Since levels one through six are free, there are several issues with primary school. The main two being that they aren't always of great quality and also that the majority of teachers don't get paid. As a result, they quit, and Haiti is facing a problem with a lack of teachers.
All in all, since school isn't mandatory, the main challenge in getting kids to attend is that they have to have motivation to want to go. If they can't afford it, they stop after level 6 which leaves them with limited options for the future. On top of that, if their parents need them to stay home and work (to help make an income for the family), then that stops them from attending as well. This is just a general introduction to the educational problems Haiti faces.
LM
