Press release
For immediate distribution

 

For a quality education accessible to all
Haïti-Éduc’2012
Putting the spotlight on the many « How to… ? » 

 

Montreal - 6 October 2011 –Haitians from all walks of life agree that education is a matter of utmost importance for the recovery of their country. The difficult question then is to find out « How ». How to cleverly utilize our limited human, material and financial resources to transform, within the next ten, fifteen or twenty years, our educational system so as to convert it into the driving force of our development? The tangible response to this question, which nobody knows, can only emerge, in our view, from the mobilization of the Haitian society in its entirety, in a process of uninterrupted reflection coupled with concrete actions on the ground. To conceive specific plans, to execute them, to evaluate what has been done, to adjust the master plan, all this in a continuous loop: this is a proven course of action that, as a society, we must undertake properly, in an incessant and sustained manner. In our quest for an optimal path towards a better education system, we should seek and welcome the expression of a diversity of views and opinions : isn’t it said that two heads are better than one? An uninterrupted reflection that is structured and organized, genuine, open and inclusive is the option that offers, in our view, the best chances for success.

It is in such a context that GRAHN-Haïti and GRAHN-Monde (GRAHN-World, www.haiti-grahn.net) undertake, as a result of sustained discussions and consultations with partners in Haiti and elsewhere, the first step of what will be Haïti-Éduc’2012, the first of a series of biennial meetings that will take place over the next twenty years, in conformity with their strategic plan to contribute to the reconstruction of Haiti.

The ills that affect our education system are well known. They have been abundantly analyzed in numerous studies, particularly those recently released by the Working Group on Education and Vocational Training (GTEF) that represent an important step in the right direction. Those studies were complemented by other initiatives. Among them, the WISE Seminar, held on 28 and 29 September 2011, where a number of exemplary practices applied in Haiti were presented. The goal with Haïti-Éduc'2012 is to continue building on those realizations : to start from existing diagnostics and solution proposals in order to add another link to the long chain of continued improvement that, ultimately, will propel our country into the 21st century.

The main objective of Haïti-Éduc’2012 is to offer the participants, particularly professionals within the world of education, a forum and a network where they will be able (i) to combine their experience and know-how in order to learn from each other; (ii) to participate in thorough exchanges about the analyses and recommendations included in public documents published by the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training, by GTEF, by GRAHN, and by others, in order to shed some light on the path towards the future; (iii) to determine collectively and individually how to integrate those analyses and recommendations in their daily tasks in the most effective manner, with the support of appropriate resource-persons, if necessary.

Our research in Haiti has called our attention on a variety of excellent initiatives which, however, often came out isolated or ill-known. Why not give their authors a framework hospitable to the diffusion of these initiatives so as to allow others to be inspired by them and to enrich them in turn with their own thoughts? The goal of that process would be to share the achievements instead of wasting our scarce resources by continually reinventing the wheel through numerous small projects that accumulate without adding up. Three examples among many:

  • Why not reflect together about the concrete question of the awakening of children, from early childhood, to a scientific explanation of the world, based on elements that surround them in daily life (the study of rocks, plants, animals, lunar phases, weather patterns…)? At the same time, why not construct together the pedagogical material needed by teachers and students in order to generalize good current practices, and also deepen and strengthen existing knowledge by adopting excellent novel practices?
  • Why not offer industries and businesses as well as government ministries an additional opportunity to adopt a host of managerial tools related to organizational strategy, leadership, quality planning and control, whose positive impact on productivity, thus on accrued wealth creation, is beyond any doubt? This issue is in line with the concerns and recent works of the Working Group on Competitiveness, a fact that shows, once again, that education is a multifaceted reality, and that the recovery of our country can only be achieved through a comprehensive and coordinated approach.
  • How to integrate our society’s less fortunate members by affording them a program of basic education and vocational training, as well as a job that corresponds to the skills they will acquire?

One important aspect of Haïti-Éduc’2012 will be to offer a series of training workshops to students and workers in various regions of the country on topics such as information and communication technologies (ICT), quality planning and management, and the promotion of local products in foreign markets. This list is not exhaustive.   

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For more information:

http://www.haiti-educ.org

 Contacts:

 For GRAHN-Monde:

Rodrigue Baugé, Vice-president Communications, rodrigue.bauge@grahn-monde.org

 

For GRAHN-Haïti:

Laurence Gauthier Pierre, President,  laurenceg.pierre@grahn-monde.org

 

For Haïti-Éduc’2012:

Samuel Pierre, samuel.pierre@grahn-monde.org

Jean-Marie Bourjolly, jean-marie.bourjolly@grahn-monde.org