As Haiti grapples with the deteriorating security situation that has recently intensified, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and development partners, including the International Bureau of Education of UNESCO (UNESCO-IBE), remain unwavering in their commitment to collaborating closely with the Haitian Ministry of National Education and Professional Development (MENFP) on supporting the vital education sector reforms currently in progress, including a pivotal curriculum reform initiative.
By maintaining robust support and engagement, the international community can play a vital role in helping Haiti overcome obstacles and build a brighter future for its education system and its people.
A Crucial Curriculum Transformation for a Haitian Education
Since 2022, the MENFP has been pursuing a comprehensive overhaul of Haiti’s education curriculum, which was initiated in 2018.
Following an initial phase focused on identifying systemic challenges and building capacity, MENFP is implementing a systemic curriculum transformation, whose planning results from the collaborative efforts of all relevant stakeholders. A crucial aspect of this process is the integration of Creole into the curriculum, spanning from early childhood education to secondary levels.
Learn more: Improving Education Through Curriculum Transformation in Haiti
Progressive Institutionalization of Creole as a Learning Language
The Haitian Constitution of 1987 defines Creole and French as the official languages of Haiti, and highlights the integral role of Creole in Haiti’s cultural identity. Creole is the primary language of 98% of Haiti’s population, with 80% exclusively speaking Creole, while only 18% speak also French to varying degrees (Université Laval, 2023).
This ensures that children develop, in their first years of schooling, sound competencies in a language they understand and practice in their familiar environment. French will be taught as a second language from first grade and will progressively become another language of instruction from 5th grade, remaining alongside Creole throughout the children’s academic journey. Finally, English and Spanish will be introduced in the fifth year of primary education.
An Issue of Equity and Learning Success
Learning in a language one can understand is fundamentally a matter of equity and inclusion. When children are forced to learn in a language they do not have the opportunity to practice at home and in their community, it can significantly impact their sense of self-worth. This situation sends the message that the language they use in their daily lives is not valued within the school environment, transforming the classroom into a space of exclusion. Consequently, children are hindered from accessing learning, further widening existing class-divides.
Moreover, utilizing children’s first language as the medium of instruction enhances their prospects for academic achievement. Research indicates that on a cognitive level, learning in a non-native language can impede full comprehension of complex concepts, as students struggle with both the language barrier and the subject matter simultaneously.
This dual challenge not only hampers the development of critical thinking skills and the clear expression of nuanced ideas but also diminishes the emotional and cultural connection with the educational material, leading to reduced engagement, poor learning outcomes for the learner, and increased dropout rate.
On the contrary, in bilingual and multilingual educational settings, employing the mother tongue as the primary medium of instruction for foundational learning is recognized for its ability to stimulate cognitive development and facilitate learning (UNESCO-IBE, Step by Step guide to curriculum transformation, to be published in 2024). As a result, “comparative evaluations carried out in Africa, Asia, and Latin America show a 20% gain for schools using L1 as a means of teaching compared to classes still using a language foreign to the community or international as a tool. Repetition decreases 5 times and dropouts 3 times” (UNESCO-IBE, 2024, working doc.).
When multilingual education is implemented effectively, the use of children’s first language for foundational learning also strengthens the bond between the social and educational spheres. Children can use what they learn in school in their familiar environment, and vice versa, furthering competency building and meaning. This supports the development of advanced vocabulary, grammar, and communication skills, which in turn facilitates language acquisition and mastery of additional languages.
However, for a solid foundation, it is crucial that learning in the mother tongue/first language continues for as long as possible. Evidence suggests that “Three or four years of mother-tongue education is not enough (to) acquire the language level required in writing and speaking as part of an academic education. UNESCO recommends six to eight years of learning in children’s mother tongue, depending on available resources (UNESCO, 2016).
As children learn their first language, they become more engaged and active in class, build confidence, and enhance their capacity to learn. Meanwhile, parents can participate actively in their learning process, regardless of their own academic backgrounds (Trudell, 2016).
No child should be excluded from education due to their language, especially when it is also the country’s first language. Using Creole as a medium of instruction can reduce dropout rates by ensuring that no child feels excluded or struggles to “catch up” due to a lack of knowledge of the language of instruction.
In the long run, developing strong communication skills, critical thinking, and creativity in Haiti’s most spoken language not only fosters democratic and civil participation but also ensures much stronger competencies in the second official language.
Enduring Challenges for Haiti’s Education
Despite ongoing efforts to integrate Creole into the classrooms and educational programs, many schools still predominantly use French as the medium of instruction, which marginalizes Creole-speaking students, particularly in rural areas where Creole is more prevalent. One reason for this is the enduring stigma associated with Creole. Despite its widespread use and cultural significance, Creole is still sometimes perceived as “less useful” compared to French, leading some parents to prefer French-based education for their children (Le P’tit Nouvelliste, 2021).
Another challenge lies in the ongoing process of standardization (the stabilization of its grammar, syntax, and all rules governing its use) and digitization (meaning its preparation for teaching and becoming a medium of instruction) of Creole, both of which are essential to ensure consistency in teaching and mitigate misunderstandings arising from regional variations.
Aware of this challenge, the MENFP has established a partnership with the Akademi Kreyòl (MENFP/ Akademi Kreyòl Agreement, 2015) to continue the efforts undertaken to finalize the standardization of Creole, also with the support of the School of Applied Linguistic (Faculté de Linguistique Appliquée FLA).
Finally, and perhaps most importantly, assessments such as the 2022 National Evaluation highlight failure rates in both French and Creole, as well as in Math and Science (MENFP/IEA, 2022). This same evaluation highlights that students perform significantly better in the Creole assessments than in the French assessments, indicating that learning outcomes improve when assessments are done in the mother tongue. Nevertheless, these assessments reveal that one of the key issues remains, above all, the quality of teaching provided in all subjects and languages. The orientations of the National Curriculum Framework are geared towards implementing measures that will positively impact the overall quality of education.
Transforming the Curriculum to Reflect Haiti’s Identity
As outlined in the NCF and the Curriculum Transformation Roadmap, the new curriculum will reflect Haiti’s socio-economic, cultural, and historical realities and vision while embracing global influences to prepare children to be as much Haitian citizens as global citizens. This includes adopting Creole as a language of instruction while honoring Haiti’s linguistic diversity, particularly its Creole-French duality.
Over the next three years, and with financial support from IDB, UNESCO-IBE will collaborate with the MENFP to revise the pre-school and basic education syllabi (called Fundamental 1 and 2 in the Haitian education system organization) in line with the National Curriculum Framework guidelines. To ensure the effectiveness of this reform, the transformation will encompass a comprehensive review of both school programs and teacher training programs, updating both content and pedagogical practices in what UNESCO-IBE calls a ‘systemic’ approach.
The MENFP and UNESCO-IBE will engage with all relevant stakeholders and educational actors to ensure that basic school programs and their classroom delivery contribute to the realization of Haiti’s vision of citizenship outlined in the NCF: grounded in their socio-cultural environment, aware and proud of their history, and equipped with the skills and optimism to embrace their future.
Expanding Education Support in Haiti
As part of the efforts to expand education support in Haiti, the IDB also teamed up with the Education Above All Foundation and Global Partnership for Education to improve educational attainment and benefit 150,000 children by increasing access to quality education for vulnerable students, including those at risk of dropping out of primary education, out-of-school children and students with disabilities. A $44 million grant will support the Ministry of National Education (MENFP) in achieving results, not only by enabling effective curriculum reform but also by strengthening its information management system and high-quality sector management. The project will also address the economic and food insecurity context of Haitian households by providing school feeding, improving attendance and retention through remedial classes, reintegrating children into schools, and enhancing the quality of teaching and learning.
Learn more about this project here.
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