By: Wadner Pierre - HaitiAnalysis.com

Photo: Wadner Pierre

Monday, September 4, 2007, is the date appointed by Haiti's Ministry of National Education for the reopening of school classes. Children are excited to return to school and the sounds of laughter fill the school yards. But much of the population is still without the means for their children to attend school and often ask how they may do so under the present economic and educational conditions.

As usual, the schools, which open their doors are commonly from congregations, such as the catholic schools. Other schools with the best reputations are often very expensive which few from the majority of the population can afford. Many attendees at the better schools are from Haiti’s small middle and upper classes and often have one parent abroad. But the majority, from less affluent backgrounds, often do not begin attending classes for a few weeks after the initial opening of classes.

The Haitian State has made efforts to increase educational funding. The Haitian constitution guarantees universal school, and it is common to hear people speaking about how Haiti should have universal schooling. Literacy and education was major program backed by the former Aristide government, and recently Preval launched his own alphabetization program.

For years the support of the State has been paramount for poor students in their ability to acquire schoolbooks (a subsidized program). Recent media reports have indicated that up to 500,000 Haitian children are at the school going age but are unable to attend because of financial constraints.

One problem is that the current government policy invests too much money in private schools and not enough money in the public primary and secondary national schools, called Lycées. A policy to rectify this situation would require a massive investment in current public schools, new school construction and materials.

Parents interviewed complained that this year financial support from members of the diaspora in the United States and abroad has been tiny. Some blamed financial problems abroad, the rising costs of living and even the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many Haitians are dependent on the support they receive from members of their family living outside the country.

“The Diaspora has a very heavy weight on the health and well being of the Haitian family,” explained one woman taking her child to Port-au-Prince based school. The transportation utilized by children and parents to the schools usually consists of walking and taking a tap-tap.

The NGO sector has also provided some important educational aid; with groups such as Digicel, Yele Ayiti, and the What If Foundation run by the California based philanthropist Margaret Trost. Some banks provide loans and aid for educational tasks but on the same hand companies often see this as a scheme purely for attracting customers and do not sustain the initial support.

The belief that schools are the key which open the door to good jobs was a common perception found amongst parents taking their children to school. These sayings are complementary to thousands of ideas, signed conventions and commitments entered into by civil society and state organizations. The Haitian state similarly continues to promote the idea and hopefully the eventuality of education for all.