Private Schooling for High School and University Student |
$200- $500 per student depending on school level
Our scholarship program selects students based their academic standing as
well as community service. These students must maintain a high academic
standing to continue their scholarship. The number of students added to this
program each year is dependent on donations.
So what does Haiti’s educational system look like?
The education system in Haiti is governed by the Ministry of National Education and Professional Training (“MENFP”). It includes preschool, “Fundamental” Education, secondary education and higher education. According to the 2002-2003 education census cited by the World Bank, only 8 percent of Haitian schools were public, while approximately 92 percent were privately owned and financed. This makes most schools
unaffordable to the majority of Haitian families.
Elementary education, or “Fundamental Education,” is compulsory for children between 6 and 11 years of age.
Fundamental Education consists of three cycles of three years each.
- 81.5% of children in this level go to private schools and pay fees, often due to the limited availability of public schools.
- 50% of primary school age children are not enrolled in school and more than 50% of children attending school are overaged.
- 60% of students will abandon school before sixth grade.
The third cycle of Fundamental Education consists of 7th, 8th and 9th grades These three years are called “Année Fondamental.” After completing the primary Fundamental Education, the student must pass an official national exam in order to earn a certificate of completion and advance to the secondary level. French is the principal written and administrative language of Haiti, and used in the classroom and on the national tests. This creates a language barrier since most Haitians speak Creole, but only the most advantaged Haitians speak French.
- Less than 22% of children move on from elementary to secondary education.
- Of this 22%, 75% go to private schools.
The first year of secondary school is called “3eme” and the second year is “2eme”. In these years, chemistry, Haitian and French literature, and geology are added to the curriculum. For the final two years of secondary school, Rheto and Philo, the student is finished with general education courses and selects a focused curriculum based on their own interests and objectives. The student must pass another official national exam after Rheto in order to be admitted into Philo. These exams are challenging for most students and require a great deal of preparation by the student as well as additional fees. The student earns their diploma and is eligible to attend post-secondary education once they have passed both Philo and the final national exam following Philo.
Vocational training in Haiti is given at different levels between the second half of secondary school and the first half of university. These include technical education and professional education, housework skills, and professional training.
There are a limited number of regional public universities and public institutions associated with their respective ministries, and again, many private institutions with higher tuition and fees. Less than 1% of the college age group are enrolled at the university level.
The children of Dame Marie face even bigger roadblocks in attaining education coming from such a remote location. Some of which include, lack of financial resources to pay for school, uniforms, or other school expenses, lack of familiarity with the French language in order to pass their mandatory state tests, the need to work and provide for their families, and much more.
We are determined to break down those roadblocks for as many children as we can with our sponsorship and scholarships programs. Our students need to be able to focus on their studies not where their next meal is coming from, or how they will pay for the next semester.
“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to
change the world.” Nelson Mandela
source:http://www.haitischolarships.org/haitis-educational-system/