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[panoramix]

85% of Haitians living in Haiti are illiterate. In rural areas children are taken out of school before they even reach third grade. Some don?t even attend a full year, yet they are proud of having been in a class room. A classic expression in Haiti, ? Mwen te Passe? sou ban Lekol? ( I once sat on a school bench), reflect this sense of pride. Even in Urban areas many parents are content if their child reach 7th grade and pass the Primary School Certificate Exam. Haitian Parents often use economic reasons as an excuse for not sending their children to school but let?s uncover some other factors that are never discussed in an open forum.

Consider this scenario,

- Decius is an American boy about 6 years old who?s ready to start first grade. He grew up speaking English with his family, but US society has adopted this prestigious language somewhat related to English, German, to conduct their day-to-day business. In this world, English is a 2nd class Language and anybody who doesn?t speak German is a 2nd class citizen. In order to become a professional or even sit behind a desk Decius must learn to read and write in German. Decius? Father can?t speak German and he?s amazed at the big words that the 6 year old is saying around the house. Decius?s mother reached 4th grade as a child and help her son with her homework. Both Parents work hard and hire tutors for their son until he graduates from High School. Decius applies to many colleges and have his applications rejected because his last name doesn?t figure in the school?s list of alumni. The only school willing to take in Decius is the Social Sciences College, home of the ? Grin?n nan Bouda? GNB a political activist group who recently protested against USA?s ex-president Bill Clinton. Decius graduates from the college with awards, but can?t find a job as a social service worker or counselor. He now uses his big German words every Saturday when he plays Dominoes with his GNB buddies. He?s at the French Embassy every month asking for a ?visa?.

Of course Decius is in Haiti, the 2nd class language is Kreyol and the prestigious language is French (and Bill Clinton is you know who.). Many parents ask themselves, what?s next for their child? Those 85% illiterate only speaks Kreyol, yet even the instructions of the medicines that they must give their infants are written in French. If governments represent the people, is it logical to have government publications written in French when the majority don?t even speak the language. I have no objection to teaching French as foreign language just like we do for English and Spanish, but when it is used as a societal barrier then it creates a problem. One other factor worth mentioning is that it?s not enough to speak French, to be accepted in Haiti?s business elite you must speak French the ? right way?, with an accent acceptable to the elite (without ?surettes?). 85% of Haiti?s human resources are alienated by the protocols of the few with money. Steps need to be taken and laws passed to bring Kreyol to a respectable level in Haitian Society. The Haitian people must learn to function in Kreyol, read instructions, fill out a form. If Kreyol continues to be a dead end language in Haiti then people will consider learning to read and write in Kreyol to be a waste of time.

[lanuit]

I applaud you for writing this article. You did a fair analyst. But, I have to correct you on this one "85% of Haitians living in Haiti are illiterate." this is wrong the percentage is much lower. It is only 47 percent please check the world factbook. They can make mistake when you are talking about statistic, but your number is way off.

Now, with the Creole issue, I am with you on that. Everything should be written in 2 languages Creole and French. However, lack of education is the problem why people can not read nor undestand what are their doctors instructions. Even if it was writing in Creole those 47 percent that I mention earlier will still not being able to read because. They just can read nor write at all. That is the main problem

As a true Haitian let's not compare our education to US. If you were raised in Haiti and went to school at the age of 3 you started kindergarten. When you are 6 years old you supposed to be in ?preparation 1?. Where you learned your lessons on your own and recited it to your teacher by heart. There is no way in US you will find a child that can do that unless, there are smart or their parents are educated. I worked with children from elementary to high school. I hardly find one that can read that in first grade.

[grison]

Correction, according to Rotary International about 80% of haitians are illiterate. Read this article:

Literacy has been a priority for Rotary International since 1986. Recently, following Rotary's successful campaign to eradicate polio worldwide, Rotary was formally asked by the United Nations to undertake the eradication of illiteracy throughout the world.

The literacy initiative called ROTALPHA was founded in 1998 by the Rotary Club of Pétion-Ville, Haiti. Haiti's population has been surveyed by international organizations to find that approximately 80% of Haiti's 7.1 million people are considered "functionally illiterate." From its conception and right up to the present, Rotalpha brings together talented, skilled, and committed people from diverse backgrounds to further literacy in the country of Haiti.

[panoramix]

From one source (rotary):

Functional literacy* 20% approx.

*Functional literacy is defined as the level of reading required to be able to fully enjoy a decent daily living.

From CIA fact book:

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 52.9%

male: 54.8%

female: 51.2% (2003 est.)

Basis of my Opinion

I grew up speaking french at home in Haiti and went to a real school. From my experience in Haiti, I met "Teachers" that could not carry a conversation in French and other factors that makes me want to lean toward the 80% number. The point of the article is that, If your average elementary students were forced to learn to function in German, they would not stand a chance. You said it yourself, they're in first grade and they can't even read english yet.

The real problem is that Kreyol is still a 2nd class language in Haiti, and there are no incentives for both parents and students to learn to functionally read and write in Kreyol (fill out a form or a survey, follow instructions etc...). The desire to read and write exist but when the business environment demand the impossible from the majority of the population, there's something wrong with the system. A responsible government should act to stop this alienation of the masses. It's only my opinion, and there's a lot to be read between the lines. Thank you for the discussion, I hope to continue discussing this subject because we can learn something from it.

[grison]

Learning, this treasure within, is the product of open and diversified access to knowledge and experience. Thus, the concept of learning throughout life emerges as one of the keys to life in the twenty-first century. It goes beyond the traditional distinction between school and lifelong education. It is designed to meet the challenges posed by a rapidly changing world. Learning is the key to sustainable human development.

The provision of equal opportunities for learning is a mandatory social service that must be provided to all haitians, as one of their basic rights and a condition for improving the quality of life.

At a UNICEF conference, four pillars were proposed as the foundation of education by the International Commission on Education for the Twenty-first Century, i.e.: learning to know, learning to do, learning to be and learning to live together, learning to live with others. The capacity to learn is at the heart of human development. It is the foundation for enlightened existence and the sustenance of all livelihoods.

Moreover, the expansion of education in Haiti (in school or by leaders or the media) would lead all haitians to a more enhanced environmental awareness, a greater knowledge of basic rights and duties, and a generally increased sense of citizenship and enlightened involvement in civic life. It is generally believed today all over the world that education is the most important means to fight poverty.

Education should be aimed not only at providing equal opportunities for individuals to learn, but also at achieving a learning society based on the acquisition, renewal and use of knowledge. But unfortunately, because of competition in the job markets, in Haiti, as Panoramix mentioned (and I emphasize as well as in the US) the applicant with the best CV will get the job, and by best CV I mean the best background, the best school, the best speech and diction. Are you aware that sometime one must sound and speak like a british to appear more sophisticated in order to increase the scope and opportunities for success in a job or obtaining certain job or position in the U.S.

Alors peut-on encore considerer le Creole comme une langue. Ses avanatages et ses desavantages. La grande majorite des haitiens peuvent se communiquer facilement, librement en Creole. Que l?on soit eduqué ou pas a travers le Creole on se communique facilement, mais lire le creole ça provoque des problemes.

[panoramix]

Alors peut-on encore considerer le Creole comme une langue. Ses avanatages et ses desavantages. La grande majorite des haitiens peuvent se communiquer facilement, librement en Creole. Que l?on soit eduqué ou pas a travers le Creole on se communique facilement, mais lire le creole ça provoque des problemes. [/quote]

Creole is considered a language in Haiti and many have worked on standardizing the language. Haitian Kreyol is now taught in some Universities in Florida so there are no issues about reading and writing Kreyol (University of Florida in GainesVille, some in Miami also). I did a quick search to support my argument and found that Indiana University teaches Haitian Creole online, click here .

You had an excellent point about job market competition and I definetly agree that speaking more than one language fluently and having proper diction will help some find better jobs. They should have better jobs and from my professional experience I can confirm that good communications skills are essential in the US Business environment.

Business and administration professionals must adapt to their environment to succeed. Will the Haitian Business Environment ever accept Kreyol? The answer is no! So you did prove me wrong partially, since Kreyol is and will remain a 2nd class language in Haiti no matter what the haitian government does, and thank you for the enlightment. My only worry is that the masses have no substantial incentive to learn to read and write in Kreyol. Being able to study Medicine and becoming a Doctor (MD) in Kreyol is a dream that will never come true. This is the reality of our country, it's not my fault nor yours.

Thank you for the discussion,

Pano

[paulbmw101]

We shouldn't be comparing Haiti to the US instead Haiti to Cuba they have less means of advancement as we do but everyone in Cuba knows how to Read & Write and they're a Communist Country on 45 yr Embargo.We get more than our fair share of help & still excuses there should be none what so ever.