Dominican Republic and Haiti: Country Studies

Haiti: The Society and Its Environment
week vacations at Christmas and Easter. Regular primary education
consists of six grades, preceded by two years of kindergarten
(enfantin) . Primary education consists of preparatory,
elementary, and intermediate cycles, each of which lasts two
years. Promotion between grades depends on final examinations
and class marks recorded in trimesters. At the end of the
sixth year, students who pass final examinations receive a graduation
certificate (certificat d'etudes primaires) . After receiving
the certificate, students can take examinations for entry into
either secondary school (seven-year cycle) or higher-primary
school (three-year cycle).
The Ministry of National Education, Youth, and Sports estimates
that 64 percent of primary school-age children (six to
twelve years old) were enrolled in school in 1996-97, compared
to 25 percent in 1971 (ages six to eleven) and 40 percent
in 1982. These figures show rapid expansion; however, Haiti
still has the lowest rate of primary-school enrollment in the
hemisphere. The Ministry of Education estimates a total enrollment
of 1,429,280 primary-school students in 1996-97.
According to the National Education Plan, 43 percent of students
entering first grade reach fifth grade, and only 38 out of
1,000 children who enter first grade finish secondary school.
The overall dropout rate is 17 percent in primary schools and
10 percent in secondary schools. There is a high proportion of
overage students, including 75 percent of primary school students,
80 percent of public secondary school, and 90 percent
of private secondary school students.
Statistics from 1996-97 report 9,528 primary schools in Haiti
and 41,170 primary school teachers (see table 17, Appendix).
Private school teachers are generally less qualified than public
school teachers. About 33 percent of public school teachers
have diplomas from teacher training colleges, but only 5 percent
of private school teachers hold such credentials. The tremendous
growth of private schools has broadened general
access to schooling, but the quality of this expanded education
is generally poor. In addition to primary schools, in 1996-97
Haiti had 409 public preschools and 4,949 private preschools
(see table 18, Appendix).
Secondary Schools
General secondary education consists of a three-year basic
cycle and a four-year upper cycle that leads to a baccalaureate
(baccalaureat) certificate and possible university matriculation.
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