Ángel Cabrera, Frank Neville, and Samantha Novick

Harnessing Human Potential
in Haiti

Building back a better Haiti will require a radically different approach to educa-
的. A review of secondary sources and statistics from international organizations
reveals a dysfunctional educational system that is vastly insufficient to cover the
country’s development needs. The reconstruction of a competitive Haiti can only
succeed by harnessing the country’s most valuable asset, its human talent. A com-
bination of improved funding, smart allocation of resources, and use of low-cost
modern technology may allow Haiti to leapfrog to significantly higher perform-
ance levels.

INCREASING FUNDING

Haiti’s foremost problem in terms of primary education since well before the
2010 earthquake has been severe underfunding. Government expenditure in edu-
阳离子, 关于 2.5 percent of GDP prior to 2007, is among the lowest in the world.
It is almost half the average for Latin America and the Caribbean, and even sub-
Saharan Africa manages to spend 3.4 percent1—this despite the fact that Haiti
displays one of the most expansive population pyramids in the region, with chil-
dren and youth age 0–14 making up 43 percent of the population.2 The single
most important intervention necessary to build a better education system is a
dramatic increase in available funding—to rebuild not just the physical infra-
structure but also the administrative and delivery capabilities, maintenance costs,
and family support and incentives, as discussed below.

Ángel Cabrera is the President of Thunderbird School of Global Management. He is a
member of the Council on Foreign Relations and a regular participant in the World
Economic Forum. The World Economic Forum named him a Global Leader for
Tomorrow in 2002 and a Young Global Leader in 2005.

Frank Neville is Associate Vice President of Marketing and Communications at the
Thunderbird School of Global Management.

Samantha Novick is a Public Relations Specialist at the Thunderbird School of Global
管理.

Cabrera was the topic leader of the “Harnessing Human Potential” action area for the
Clinton Global Initiative’s 2010 Annual Meeting.

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Ángel Cabrera, Frank Neville, and Samantha Novick

CREATING A NATIONAL SYSTEM

这些年来, lack of funding for public schools has been compensated for by pri-
vate expenditure and an oversized, underregulated private sector. 之间 80 每-
cent and 90 percent of all primary schools in Haiti are private and operate largely
outside of government regulation and accreditation. Zimbabwe is the only other
country in the world with a similar ratio of public to private schools.

High non-public-sector enrollment in primary education, inadequate regula-
的, and lack of standardization makes it difficult to guarantee quality. 多于
70 percent of private schools function illegally, without a permit or license from
the Ministère de l’Education Nationale,
and the government rarely inspects them.
Because there is no national curriculum,
religious groups, NGOs, and for-profit
ventures run these schools pretty much as
they wish. The resulting diversity is enor-
mous, ranging from international schools
attended by the country’s elite to extreme-
ly low-quality schools attended by the
poorest.3

The reconstruction of a
competitive Haiti can
only succeed by
harnessing the
country’s most valuable
asset, its human talent.

Creating a national system of educa-
tion is imperative as a means to ensure
school quality and effectiveness. A coali-
tion of private actors convened by the
Clinton Global Initiative, in consultation with the Ministry of Education and
Quisqueya University, is working to develop a National Institute of Teacher
Education in Haiti, expected to be operational by year’s end. This institution will
develop a national curriculum, teaching standards, and a certification program for
Haiti’s teachers. It will have an accreditation body and a Haitian governing board,
which will ensure that this project becomes fully embedded within the Haitian
education system.

The National Institute of Teacher Education offers a good start, but it is unre-
alistic to expect the government to do the job alone; it will most likely need to build
on a combination of public, charter, and fully private schools. Whatever the mix,
any new national standards need to be applied to both public and private institu-
系统蒸发散. 此外, any new curriculum standards should be established around
skill sets that are critical to rebuilding Haiti’s infrastructure and will boost its
national economic competitiveness.

WORKING TOWARD 100 PERCENT ENROLLMENT

Education is highly valued in Haiti, but free or low-cost public schools are scarce
and are located for the most part in urban areas. Private schools, while more
numerous, are prohibitively expensive, costing on average $70 到 $80 per child each
year in a country with a per-capita GDP of $716.4 UNICEF has reported that poor 144 创新 / fall 2010 从http下载的://direct.mit.edu/itgg/article-pdf/5/4/143/704676/inov_a_00050.pdf by guest on 08 九月 2023 Harnessing Human Potential in Haiti families spend up to 70 percent of their income on education.5 These barriers often force parents to delay education until they can afford it or their child can make the journey to school independently. 几乎 75 percent of all primary school students are two years older or more than is usual at their grade level. A direct outcome of this system is dismal enrollment numbers. Before the earthquake, 71 percent of children aged 6–12 were enrolled in school. At least 500,000 children across the country were not receiving any education at all, and just over half of those who started school would ever finish.6 The problem of low enrollment is compounded by a widespread system of domestic indentured ser- vants (restaveks, or “stay-with” children) that dates back to the country’s independ- ence and is estimated to affect more than 200,000 children.7 Education is highly valued in Haiti, but free or low-cost public schools are scarce and located for the most part in urban areas. Pervasive malnutrition impairs stu- dents’ cognitive and learning capabilities, a problem compounded by the physical demands of often having to travel great distances to get to school. In rural areas, 72 percent of children aged 6–12 suffer from iodine deficiency, a clear indicator of mal- nutrition.8 Only 800,000 学生, out of about two million, received meals in 2002, and only 400,000 did in 2006. For many, the food they receive at school is their only meal.9 The allocation of aid to families can be used as a powerful tool to mitigate some of these deficiencies. Conditional cash transfers, where cash welfare pay- ments to families are linked to evidence of regular school attendance, visits to health clinics, and improved nutrition, have proven to be an effective mechanism. Mexico’s Progresa-Oportunidades system is widely credited with reducing pover- ty and increasing educational attainment in that country. Any such plan in Haiti will have to address the increased vulnerability of more than 100,000 children who do not have a family due to the earthquake, as well as thousands of newly disabled children and children forced to take care of younger family members.10 QUALITY AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY The majority of children who are enrolled face schools that are overcrowded, 贫穷的- ly managed, low on materials, and disorganized. Even before the earthquake, a high percentage did not meet basic sanitary and safety standards: 16 percent were locat- ed in houses, 33 percent in churches, 和 9 percent in the open air. Approximately 80 percent of teachers do not have official teaching certificates and a majority of them do not have more than a ninth-grade education.11 Lessons usually are con- ducted in Creole and in French, and are mainly “chalk and talk”—focused on innovations / fall 2010 145 从http下载的://direct.mit.edu/itgg/article-pdf/5/4/143/704676/inov_a_00050.pdf by guest on 08 九月 2023 Ángel Cabrera, Frank Neville, and Samantha Novick recitation and writing words and phrases that the students often don’t under- stand.12 The earthquake added further pressure, as nearly 80 percent of the education- al institutions in the Port-au-Prince area were destroyed, leaving about 1.5 million children without a school. 此外, the premises of the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training were entirely destroyed, along with irretrievable records and educational data.13 The government’s Haiti Action Plan recognizes school reconstruction as a top priority and is working with international organizations to rebuild physical infra- structure rapidly. The Digicel Foundation has provided facilities and equipment for about 500 Ministry of Education staff to resume work. The American Institutes of Research’s Emergency Education Response in Haiti is building temporary schools that are earthquake and hurricane resistant, and providing school supplies, water and sanitation systems, classroom materials, nutrition, and teacher training for up to 600 children per structure. 关于 321 classroom units have been funded and designated so far. The Digicel Foundation is setting up a fabrication facility in Haiti to build container classrooms, along with an apprenticeship program to train young Haitians in their construction. The Foundation, which originally began the initiative in 2008, has extended its commitment to rebuild at least 30 new schools. 很遗憾, while schools housed in temporary shelters and new buildings began opening to students intermittently in April, displacement and lingering social trauma have kept enrollment numbers low.14 Ideally, a new Haitian school system should be built around new information technology, which could dramatically increase the quality, 使用权, and even cost of delivery; it would also help bridge the digital divide by increasing computer liter- acy. Experiences such as NIIT’s Hole in the Wall in India have demonstrated that minimally invasive exposure to computers in a protected, collaborative environ- ment can have dramatic results, even in the absence of robust basic education or teachers.15 Intel’s experiences in Africa and Latin America show how holistic inter- ventions that deploy the technology in partnership with local organizations not only can improve educational effectiveness but also build local capabilities, create jobs, and promote an environment of entrepreneurship around the use of infor- mation technologies. Technology should not be seen as a luxury for a latter stage of development but as a tool to address current basic needs and accelerate school- 英. UNIVERSITY SYSTEM Before the January 2010 earthquake, the Haitian system of higher education was comprised of at least 159 public and private institutions that served about 40,000 学生. The vast majority of these schools were located in the capital, with few options elsewhere. A mere 1 percent of Haitians between the ages of 18 和 24 were enrolled in university, the lowest rate in the hemisphere. 146 创新 / fall 2010 从http下载的://direct.mit.edu/itgg/article-pdf/5/4/143/704676/inov_a_00050.pdf by guest on 08 九月 2023 Harnessing Human Potential in Haiti Dramatically underfunded (仅有的 0.4 percent of the government’s budget was allocated to higher education before the earthquake), Haitian universities lacked capable professors and facilities. Just like primary schools in the country, 90 每- cent of the university system was compromised of loosely regulated private schools, many of which operated without government accreditation.16 Only 11 每- cent of Haitian professors held advanced degrees, and many schools did not have adequate textbooks, libraries, or laboratories. The average instructor earned less per year than a bricklayer, and they were rarely evaluated. Private universities were costly and scholarships rare. Those who could afford to do so, and who were accepted, attended universities outside the country. 多于 15,000 Haitians are currently enrolled in universities in the Dominican Republic.17 Lack of incentives prevents many from returning. Conor Bohan, the founder of the Haitian Education Leadership Program (HELP) estimates that 85 percent of Haitians with a university degree have emigrated, removing some of Haiti’s brightest young minds from their country’s future.18 Because the majority of Haiti’s universities were located in Port-au-Prince and thus close to the earthquake’s epicenter, the damage to the country’s higher educa- tion sector was especially intense. 大约 87 percent of the country’s universities were leveled or seriously damaged, and as many as 6,000 college students were killed. An estimated 121 到 200 university professors and administrators also lost their lives.19 Haiti needs a new system of higher education, one that can be deployed quick- ly and provide broad access and scale at a reasonable cost, and that focuses on the areas of priority for reconstruction and productivity. Given its own efficiency issues, the American research university is unlikely to provide an adequate model for Haiti, at least in the short run and, 也许, 曾经. Haiti may instead have an opportunity to deploy an alternative model, drawing from some of the break- through solutions emerging around the world. In the U.S., the University of Phoenix—a profitable publicly traded company—has become the largest universi- ty in the country in number of students through a combination of low-cost cam- puses in key markets and online delivery. Western Governors University in the U.S.—an online not-for-profit university created by a coalition of state gover- nors—and TecMilenio University in Mexico—a “base-of-the-pyramid” initiative of the elite Tecnológico de Monterrey—are examples of practical, efficient, and effective competency-based learning models that can be deployed in a short peri- od of time. Opening up the local market to initiatives by foreign nonprofit and profit providers and creatively leveraging the growing pool of open-source tools and available online content may also help find a unique model of higher univer- sity that is both realistic in a relative short period of time and effective in meeting the growing demands of highly trained talent in the country. 创新 / fall 2010 147 从http下载的://direct.mit.edu/itgg/article-pdf/5/4/143/704676/inov_a_00050.pdf by guest on 08 九月 2023 Ángel Cabrera, Frank Neville, and Samantha Novick CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE ACTIONS The Haitian government’s Action Plan recognizes that a knowledge-based society with universal access to basic education, a relevant professional training system, and an efficient university system are key priorities for the future of the country. That’s an important starting point. But to get there, the focus should not be on rebuilding a system that was broken prior to the January earthquake but on creat- ing a dramatically different model that will enable Haitian society to build a com- petitive economy and put their economy on a path to sustainable development. While there are many forms this model could take, any lasting solution will require the following elements: • A dramatic increase in funding allocated to education • The creation of a national system, which should leave enough room for diverse models and experimentation but within clear standards linked to the nation’s reconstruction and competitiveness needs • A conditional cash transfer system to turn welfare distributions into incentives for improved enrollment and health • A smart use of technology—from radio and TV to cell phones and low-cost computers—which can help tap increasingly available open-source content, increase quality at a reduced cost, and dramatically increase computer literacy • The adoption of new, scalable, low-cost models of higher education that have demonstrated success in other developed and developing environments Given the magnitude of the destruction from the earthquake, the low level of resources available domestically, and the tremendous number of competing prior- 实体, a solution will of necessity be a joint effort among the donor community, the Haitian government, Haitian civil society, and private capital. No one group has the ability to resolve the situation, but together they can achieve much of what needs to be done. The Haitian government’s stated goal of creating a free and comprehensive publicly funded education system can serve as the cornerstone of efforts to remake Haiti’s education system. It can, and should, also be the focal point of internation- al assistance for Haiti’s education sector. The establishment of the National Institute of Teacher Education and the development of uniform national standards will be critical to the success of a new education system, for without proper regulation and consistent national guide- 线, even a fully accessible public education system will fail to produce the desired outcome of truly preparing Haiti’s children to compete in the global economy. A key element of any new structure must also be a vision for using technology that will allow Haiti’s educational institutions to tap into the knowledge resources of an interconnected global community. To promote the necessary investments in technology, tax breaks and other types of incentives should be developed to encourage the private sector to invest in education and educational technology. 最后, in order to ensure that the Haitian people take advantage of the bene- fits of any new educational structures, the Haitian government should direct some 148 创新 / fall 2010 从http下载的://direct.mit.edu/itgg/article-pdf/5/4/143/704676/inov_a_00050.pdf by guest on 08 九月 2023 Harnessing Human Potential in Haiti of its welfare spending to a new conditional cash-transfer system, possibly also funded in conjunction with international donors. While the challenges facing Haiti’s education system are significant, the rebuilding process offers Haiti an opportunity to start over. By pooling the resources and aligning the efforts of the government, private sector, and donor community, Haiti can jettison a failed education system and build a new, more effective structure that truly serves the future needs of the Haitian people. 1. The World Bank, Haiti: Public Expenditure Management and Financial Accountability Review. 华盛顿, 直流: 作者, 2008. 2. “Haiti’s Youth,” 华盛顿邮报, 2010. Available at www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/con- tent/graphic/2010/01/18/GR2010011804388.html 3 World Bank, Haiti. 4. L. Wolff, (2008). Education in Haiti: The Way Forward, Partnership for Educational Revitalization in the Americas, 2008. 可在 http 上获取://oneresponse.info/Disasters/Haiti/Education/publicdoc- uments/ education_in_haiti_way_forward%5B1%5D.pdf; The United Nations, Country Profile: Haiti, 2008. 可在 http 上获取://data.un.org/CountryProfile.aspx?crName=Haiti. 5. 磷. James. “Educating Haiti’s Children, Six Months On,” UNICEF Education and Transition, 七月 12, 2010. 可在 http 上获取://www.educationandtransition.org/resources/ educating- haiti%E2%80%99s-children-six-months-on/. 6. World Bank, Haiti. 7. K. 保罗, “Labor Shortage,” Newsweek, 二月 1, 2010. 可在 http 上获取://万维网. newsweek.com/2010/01/31/labor-shortage.html. 8. The World Food Program, Country Report: Haiti (日期不详。). Available at http://www.wfp.org/node/3478. 9. World Bank, Haiti. 10. Interim Haiti Recovery Commission, Post Disaster Needs Assessment. Port-au-Prince: 作者, 2010. 可在 http 上获取://www.cirh.ht/resources/PDNA.pdf. 11. World Bank, Haiti. 12. Wolff, Education in Haiti. 13. J. Reinl, “Haiti’s Children Scarred by the Earthquake,” The National, 七月 11, 2010. 可在 http 上获取://www.thenational.ae/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100712/FOREIGN/707119952/1014/r ss. 14. James, “Educating Haiti’s Children.” 15. 参见http://www.hole-in-the-wall.com/. 16. Interuniversity Institute for Research and Development (INURED), The Challenge for Haitian Higher Education, 2010. 可在 http 上获取://inured.org/docs/TheChallengeforHaitianHigherEd_ INURED2010March.pdf. 17. 磷. Fine, 磷. “Haiti: Sector Was a Disaster Prior to Quake,” University World News, 可能 30, 2010. 可在 http 上获取://www.universityworldnews.com/article.php?story=20100529193117438. 18. Direct Relief International. “$150,000 in Grants Awarded to Local Groups in Haiti,” Haiti
Earthquake Response, 六月 3, 2010. 可在 http 上获取://www.directrelief.org/Emergency
Response/2010/HaitiEarthquakeJune.aspx.

19. 中号. Lloyd, “Haiti Considers How to Rebuild an Entire Higher-Education System,” The Chronicle
of Higher Education, 行进 24, 2010. 可在 http 上获取://chronicle.com/article/ Haiti-Considers-
How-to-Rebuild/64827/.

创新 / fall 2010

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