Global Voices Information Sheet

Haiti – Election and Education

Courtesy of www.unicef.org and www.bbc.co.uk

Elections in Haiti

 On Sunday, November 28, 2010, Haiti held general elections to choose a President, 99
deputies and 10 senators.
 In addition to some violent incidents, polling day was also marred by disorganization.
Allegations were made that the election was rigged in favour of Jude Celestin, the
government’s preferred successor of outgoing President Rene Preval.
 Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council has denied the fraud allegations, despite street
protests.12 out of 18 opposition candidates who called for the vote to be cancelled.
 The Organization of American States and the Caribbean regional grouping, Caricom,
have said that disruptions caused at some polling stations were not enough reason to
discount the votes.
 There is a concern that Haiti’s disputed elections may have partly been the result of an
unstable education system, because many voters did not know how to read the
candidates’ names.

Education in Haiti

 Even before the earthquake, Haiti was not only the poorest country in the western
hemisphere, but also one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world. It
faced many political, economic and social problems.
 Haiti’s education system faces many challenges, including lack of infrastructure and a
privatized school structure that demands high fees.
 Only 50 per cent of Haiti’s children are enrolled in primary school. Additionally, only two
per cent of these children finish secondary school.
 As a result, the current national literacy rate is only 53 per cent.

Key Terms

 literacy – the condition or quality of being literate, especially the ability to read and write
 polls – the number of votes cast or recorded
 polling station – the place where votes are cast and recorded
 political platform – a declaration of principles and policies adopted by a political party or
candidate
Global Voices Secondary Educator Resources

Note to Educators:
The following activities are designed to stimulate a current events discussion. Generative in nature,
these questions can be a launching point for additional assignments or research projects.
Teachers are encouraged to adapt these activities to meet the contextual needs of their classroom.

In some cases, reading the article with students may be appropriate, coupled with reviewing the
information sheet to further explore the concepts and contexts being discussed. From here, teachers
can select from the questions provided below. Activities are structured to introduce students to the
issues, then allow them to explore and apply their learnings. Extension and conclusion activities are
included to challenge students and finally, encourage them to reflect on the issues at hand.

Since these activities are designed as discussions rather than formal lessons, assessment strategies
are not included.

Themes and Course Connections

 Haiti, leadership, election, education, and poverty.
 Curriculum Connections: The Arts, Canadian and World Studies, English, Social
Sciences and Humanities, Civics.

Materials
 Blackboard
 Chart paper
 Paper
 Computers and internet
 Global Voices column

Specific Expectations and Learning Goals

Students will:
 Develop and express appropriate responses to issues and problems.
 Reassess their responses to issues on the basis of new information.
 Demonstrate appropriate research skills by compiling a range of data from a wide variety
of print and electronic resources.
 Participate in active group work and class discussions.
 Communicate effectively in written and spoken language or other forms of expression.
 Demonstrate the ability to think critically.
 Develop, express, and defend a position on an issue and explain how to put the ideas
into action.

Knowledge and Understanding

1. Development Indicators (estimated time: 30 minutes)
a. Write the following terms on the board: population density, death rate, life
expectancy, percentage of the population below the poverty line, and literacy
rate.
b. Ask students to work independently to define each of these terms.
c. Once this is complete, review these terms as a class. Ask students to explain
what these factors mean in an international development context. (Ex. what does

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 it mean when a country has a high birth rate? What does it mean for a country to
have a low population density? Why is literacy a way to measure how
"developed" a country is?)
d. In the Global Voices column, students will learn that the national literacy rate of
Haiti is 53 per cent. Ask students to explain what this means.
e. Compare Haiti’s national literacy rate to Canada’s (99 per cent literacy). Ask the
class to share their reactions to these statistics and brainstorm what factors may
account for this difference.
f. Divide the students into groups of four and ask them to research Haiti and record
the statistics for the different development indicators listed on the board.
g. Once groups have compiled their data, ask them to analyze the data and identify
areas of need within the country.
h. Now ask students to think about the recent Haiti election, ask:
i. What should the political candidates be focusing on in their campaign
platforms?
ii. What are the needs of the Haitian people?
iii. What changes need to occur in Haiti to allow the country to move
forward and improve its current situation?

Thinking
1. Read the Global Voices column independently. (estimated time: 15 minutes)
a. Reflection:
i. Ask students to record point form notes in response to the article. Prompt
students with the questions below.
ii. Ask students to record five questions that they are unsure of from their
initial reading of the article.
b. Discuss the column as a class, ask:
i. What are the main points of the article?
ii. What emotions did this article provoke in you?
iii. What problem is identified in the column?

2. Media Literacy (estimated time: 15 minutes)

a. Ask students to practice their media literacy skills by working independently to
identify the following:
i. Title: include the full title of the article (also called the headline).
ii. Author: give the author's full name.
iii. Newspaper: the full name of the newspaper from which the article is
taken.
iv. Date: the day the article appeared in the newspaper.
v. Subject: the overall topic that the article is describing.
vi. Event: what event led to the writing of the article?
vii. Main idea: identify what the author is proving or arguing. Is the author
trying to convince readers to take a side? If so, what opinion is the
author encouraging?
viii. Evidence: list several facts/arguments that support the main idea and
help to convince the reader or inform them of the issue. Does the author
provide enough factual material to support his/her ideas?
ix. Significance: explain why this issue is important and whom it may affect.
x. Point of view: is the article, in your opinion, true, balanced or biased? Are
different viewpoints presented? Which viewpoints are left out?
b. When this is complete, bring the class back together and discuss student
answers.

Communication
1. How Dreams Become Reality (estimated time: 20 minutes)

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 a. Ask students to let their imaginations run wild, and fill up a blank piece of paper
with everything they want to be, do, have, or achieve in their life.
b. Once students have listed their dreams, ask if these dreams would be possible
without an education.
c. Moving on, ask students to list the things that allow them to access education.
Write these suggestions on the board.
d. Now ask the students to compare their findings to the situation in Haiti by asking
the following questions:
i. What barriers to education currently exist in Haiti?
ii. What benefits will education bring to the Haitian community?
iii. What changes can be made to allow more children access to education
in Haiti?

Application
1. Private versus Public Schooling Debate (estimated time: 15 minutes)
a. The Global Voices column, explains that Haiti has no universal public education:
“Schools are mostly privately owned, for-profit and expensive. Parents pay on
average $12 per month, a significant expense when 70 per cent of the population
lives on less than $2 a day”. Divide the class into pairs; ask one member of the pair
to discuss why they thinkprivate schooling is a good thing, and the other student to
discuss the negative aspects of privately owned schools.
a. When the various debates are complete, hold a class discussion by asking the
following suggested questions:
i. Was it easier to argue one side over another side?
ii. Were you able to see the benefits of both sides?
iii. Is there one side that’s right and one side that’s wrong?
iv. Should education be made public in Haiti? Why or why not?

Additional Resources
In addition to the above lesson plans, you may want to share some additional resources with your
students. Listed below are some links to useful online resources:

Haiti Election - http://www.haitielections2010.com/

CBC News - http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/11/28/haiti-election-candidates457.html
CIA The World Factbook - https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
factbook/geos/ha.html
UNICEF - http://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/haiti_statistics.html

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