For the 2023-24 academic year, the Grand’Anse department, with Jérémie as its capital, recorded a pass rate of only 18.9% for their senior government exam, a requirement for every student in Haiti to graduate from high school. Out of 3,695 graduating seniors, only 700 candidates passed, representing an alarming pass rate of 18.9%, a significant drop from 38.6% in 2022-23. These figures are among the lowest in the country, below the national average, highlighting an alarming crisis. Several socio-economic factors complicate this situation, heavily influencing students’ academic performance. In this article, I will identify three significant factors contributing to this problem: migration, instability, and food insecurity.

Migration and Pressure on Educational Infrastructure

With the rise of insecurity in Port-au-Prince, thousands of families are migrating to cities less affected by violence, such as Jérémie. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), 96,000 people were displaced in the Haitian capital in 2022. However, these cities are not equipped to accommodate this significant influx of newcomers, who often arrive without resources or municipal support. This migration increases the demand for educational infrastructure and basic services, even as Jérémie has limited means to respond.

The Impact of Instability on Learning

Educators, such as Jean Piaget and Maria Montessori, have studied the influence of social context on children’s cognitive development. According to them, a stable environment is essential for children to concentrate and assimilate complex concepts. In times of crisis, stress affects their ability to learn, as they are in survival mode. The work of Lev Vygotsky, a Russian psychologist and educator, also shows that intellectual development is closely tied to social interactions and a stable environmental framework. Thus, students in Jérémie, living in a constantly stressful environment due to insecurity and poverty, see their learning abilities compromised.

Food Insecurity: Insurmountable Obstacles

According to the World Food Programme (WFP), more than 70% of the Haitian population lives in food insecurity, and children in Grand’Anse are particularly affected. Statistics show that students from struggling families often do not have access to a balanced daily meal, and this directly impacts their ability to concentrate and succeed in a school setting.

Conclusion and Call to Action

To improve the situation in Grand’Anse, it is imperative to strengthen educational infrastructure, integrate food support programs in schools, and provide tailored training for teachers to better meet their students’ needs. The work of educators such as Howard Gardner, who developed the theory of multiple intelligences, shows that adapted and contextualized learning could be a solution to help children in unstable environments. Better collaboration between local organizations, governments, and international institutions is essential to give the children of Jérémie and all of Grand’Anse a chance for success, despite the challenges surrounding them.

At Thrive Ansanm, we’re tackling the challenges in education by directly supporting students in need. Each student in our program receives a scholarship that fully covers their annual tuition, school supplies, and includes a monthly stipend for food and transportation. This support not only eases the financial burden on families, allowing them to allocate more money toward essentials at home, but it also indirectly helps local schools. They can be sure that we will pay our students’ tuition in full and on time, something that is not true for most students. Thus, we are helping them pay teachers and enhance the quality of education they provide.

Yet, there’s so much more that we must do. Our dedicated team in Haiti is actively collaborating with local education leaders to explore ways we can expand our impact and make a lasting difference for even more students in the future.

Sources:

International Organization for Migration (IOM)
World Food Programme (WFP)
Ministry of National Education and Vocational Training