Statistics Related to Our Work (continued)

III. Status of Schools—the Dropout Problem

Source: UNESCO International Institute for Educational Planning, October 26, 2020

Among the universal factors affecting dropout rates in the country, the cost of education stands out. The price of uniforms, books, and supplies are substantial, as is the loss of income for many households, who rely on children for domestic work or other labor.

Nonpublic schools are a highly heterogeneous group. They include religious schools, community schools, schools started by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and for-profit schools. The impetus for their creation varies, with 85% of primary schools being private and widely diverse in quality.

With a dropout rate of 7% in only the first year of primary school, Haiti continues to lose a significant number of students throughout the basic education cycle. About 40% of pupils drop out before the end of Grade 9. The causes are all the more complex not only because the Haitian education system nationally is fragile in terms of governance, access to schooling, and quality of education, but also because the country has significant departmental and commune disparities that need to be taken into account in planning. 

Of the children who drop out of school in Haiti, 60-80% are “over-aged”. Many arrive at primary school well after the age of 6 due to the lack of a school nearby and the parents’ inability to pay multiple tuitions in the family. Often older than their classmates, these pupils lack the same comprehension skills as their classmates and in the past have been humiliated by trying to learn in French.

IV. Education and Technology Support

Source: CIA World Factbook (last updated December 15, 2022)

Electricity access
electrification – total population: 39% (2019)
electrification – urban areas: 60% (2019)
electrification – rural areas: 12% (2019)

Internet users
total: 3,990,887 (2020 est.)
percent of population: 35% (2020 est.)
country comparison to the world: 101

Broadband – fixed subscriptions
total: 31,000 (2020 est.)subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 0.3 (2020 est.)
country comparison to the world: 153

V. Libraries

There is no one nonprofit or governmental organization coordinating library institutions to come together purposefully to advocate for improving libraries in Haiti. One factor accounting for this is the lack of a national association or network serving all libraries and a focus on research. For example, there is not a Haitian Library Association comparable to the American Library Association which has two divisions studying library practices just for children and learning—1) the American Association of School Librarians (AASL) and 2) the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC).

As a result, few statistical or research studies have been conducted of the number or effectiveness of libraries and library services countrywide in or near schools in Haiti.

The Haiti-Education Database created by an American librarian with 10 years’ subject expertise on Haitian education is an exception. Reported in 2015, it revealed a significant amount of data in different categories including data primarily pertaining to 330 NGO-supported schools since Haiti public schools did not have websites. https://airtable.com/shrWaiJQBuWFI5lq5/tblU9jLJO9tR9TTQn/viw2ErWHRIlShMEhH?blocks=hide

The report reflected 330 NGOs “touching more than 500,000 students” with these results:

For Schools
Of 330 NGO schools—8% of schools have libraries (28 schools)

For Communities
Of the 300 NGOs—3.6% of villages provide a community library (8 villages)