How Haiti’s Privatized Education Hinders the Healthcare Sector

By Morgan Manier | We Kids United

Haiti Foundation of Hope: Elementary School in Haiti

Worldwide, Haiti is ranked 177th out of 186 for the government’s national spending on education [1], with 80-81% of the schools in Haiti privately run with only 18.9 public educational facilities open to the public [2]. However, this data is inconsistent, with some sources citing 92% of schools are private or non-state run [3].  This is around 4/5 of the educational institutions [4]. Additionally, a study by Statista found 83% of Haiti’s population does not have higher than a secondary level degree, with only 8% holding a university degree [5], and fewer than 30% of students reaching 6th grade [6]. To give some perspective, the average Haitian family’s gross national income per year is 560 dollars, and the average annual private tuition fee is 75 dollars. This means education would take up at least 7.5% of a family’s yearly earnings, assuming the family only has one child to send to school [7]. Education is one of the most critical devices for escaping poverty, and a privatized education system is unsustainable in a country where approximately 59% of citizens live in poverty [8]. The economic and social inequality propagated by the privatized education industry creates a greater issue of national health. By limiting the educational opportunities available, the potential of the entire country is limited. Seeing as Haiti is in dire need of structural and societal development, there should be a greater push towards free and proper education so that the future of Haiti rests in ready and capable hands. 

The 1805 Constitution of Haiti presents a far-reaching and radical vision for the nation – and demonstrates why Haiti must constantly fight for its sovereignty.

In the Haitian constitution, free education is a guaranteed right, so why is it not being provided [9]? This is in part due to the lack of infrastructure surrounding education, and in part due to the Haitian 1971 president Jean-Claude "Baby Doc" Duvalier’s rule that religious missionaries build an affiliated school with any new church [10]. So as religious missions flocked to Haiti in the late 1900s, the private education system expanded with them, limiting education mostly to those who attended church. Such low availability of education was further compounded by the aforementioned dearth of infrastructure. According to a 2023 survey of 4,326 Haitians, a lack of learning and teaching materials (39%), A lack of qualified teaching staff (30%), and school overcrowding(23%) were the most significant barriers to education [11]. 

Among Haiti’s 24 medical schools and facilities, only 6 are recognized by the Ministry of Public Health and Population [12]. As such, many unqualified medical personnel are allowed to operate, particularly in rural areas, whose improper medical practices can cause potential harm to the general population. In addition, there is the use of traditional Haitian medical practices, such as ‘Matwons’, who serve as midwives assisting with childbirth. The use of Matwons in Haiti is a culturally significant practice, however these individuals usually work with limited resources and medical knowledge to assist in cases of high-risk pregnancies and births [13]. If students are not properly educated, there will be a future generation of people with inadequate medical education, limiting the already struggling healthcare sector from developing. Let us not forget how the education of adults in Haiti is also just as important as young minds. The literacy rate of Haitian adults is placed approximately at 61% [14], an incredibly low number for the Western Hemisphere. A lack of education limits every part of the population from developing skills that could assist them in escaping poverty to seek greater opportunities for themselves, and ultimately their country. 

Dr. Jean Jimmy Plantin, resident chief of the emergency residency program at University Hospital in Mirebalais, gives a presentation in August 2017. More than 120 residents have graduated from the hospital's medical education programs, now formally accredited to international standards. (Photo by Ryan Jiha / PIH)

There is also a critical lack of governmental ability to support education in the way it needs to be, which causes ripple effects to other sectors of social and public health. The first step towards advancing Haiti’s education sector is the expansion of the Haitian Ministry of Education, encouraging the government’s subsidization of education, rather than from private institutions. Dependence on external aid for education is another pressing issue, necessitating a more self-sufficient approach for Haiti. There has been discussion surrounding the possibility of using diaspora bonds for restructuring education. These bonds are intended to allow Haitian immigrants to invest in the structural redevelopment of Haiti while living abroad. This strategy has been employed in Israel and India, garnering over $35 billion of development financing, and can similarly be tested in Haiti [15]. 

The direct connection to healthcare and education cannot be understated, as they are integrally dependent on one another. As a result of the economic inaccessibility to education, Haiti’s current healthcare sector issues are at risk of exasperation. Not only does the issue of privatized education restrict the future of healthcare from developing, but at present there are very few recognized medical institutions medical professionals can attend. This puts the Haitian population at risk of being recipients of medical malpractice that can have harmful, if not fatal outcomes. In order to combat this issue, it is essential that the Haitian government not only engages with but encourages the expansion and improvement of the public education sectors, whether this is through redistribution of funding or development initiatives. 

References and literature: 

1. Schools for Haiti 

2. Statistia 

3. World Bank 

4. Statista 

5. Statista 

6. Schools for Haiti 

7. Lead by Example 

8. UNICEF 

9. OHCHR

10. K12 Academics

11. Statista

12. Aiybo Post 

13. Every Mother Counts

14. Lumiere D’Education Foundation Inc. 

15. World Bank