Education

Valerie Schenkman
Education Research Abstract

Education is often seen as a means out of poverty, a tool for empowerment, and a basis for building communication and social skills. In the case of Haiti, 65 percent of the population has no level¹ of education; 25 percent have a level equivalent to four years of primary education; 10 percent have a higher level. A little over half of primary school-age children are enrolled in school, and less than 2 per cent of children finish secondary school².

These statistics translate into a complex system of political instability, historical oppression, poverty, gender inequality, lack of education, stagnant labor market, migration, absence of familial structures, and poor healthcare. Together, this collective of miseries/misfortunes, along with several others, impede the ability of a nation to overcome destitution. Paul Farmer et. al. defines this collective as “structural violence” or ‘a series of large-scale forces-ranging from gender inequality to racism to poverty- which structure unequal access to goods and services.³

footnotes
1. Yéle Haiti: Copyright 2006. Yéle Haiti Foundation. All rights reserved.Website by Webstudios, www.yele.org
2. UNICEF: Haiti, 2007.
3. Paul Farmer, Margaret Connors, and Janie Simmons, 369.

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