I would like to share my response to someone who asked why her post on Education programs and curriculum in Haiti is not discussed and doesn’t get responses on that particular forum.

Here is my answer which also applies to my internet friends, colleagues, pals, and other discussion lines.

You probably were reading my mind. I have been feeling like asking to all the people I have e-mailed or written to in the past four, five years about Education, why they have not responded.

As an educator by training and profession, I have written a lot on educational issues with a focus on the Haitian diaspora, lately on African immigrants.

The issues are the same all over. Henri Christophe's government, (should I say kingdom in the North of Haiti from 1811 to 1820) was the only state leadership that had a systemic educational program and vision. Be it in Haiti or in the diaspora, Education is not a collective concern of the Haitian community, based on my experience as an educator for the last 25 years, and teaching a student population from all over the world since l992. I don’t need the statistics. I am living on a daily basis the achievement gap between Whites and Asians, Latinos and Blacks as well as patterns, behaviors and attitudes that cause these wide gaps.

Yes, Haitian parents want the best for their children. But like other ethnic groups such as Asians, Muslims, Jews, Irish, Germans, Poles have or historically had special programs outside the school systems for their children and youth, Haitians have not done that yet. I know of few individuals or community agencies that have had sporadic after school programs, like FANM, a Haitian wowan organization in Miami, a woman that runs cultural programs in Catholic parish in Queens and pre school (Head Start) in Notre Dame d'Haiti in Miami.

But as you can see, the lack of response to your question on Education is one example. I have enough of lack of response of years of letter writings to many stakeholders about focusing on Education, that I can conclude in my community, if I don't want to create any more strong feelings, I am not to talk about anything related to learning.

Again, I feel the same way you do. People don't respond to issues related to Education. Sometimes I wonder if people are thinking, writing, putting their thoughts in writing. I am beginning to wonder why don't people share their ideas, communicate with one another in the easiest form of communication that exists now. I sometimes say we don't need all those meetings to really do something. We can really do a lot in the internet.

One person told me he is about to write a book. He doesn't want people to take his ideas. I say as a writer, a team builder, I can not possibly and conceivably do everything I am thinking of. On the other hand, someone who takes my ideas can not talk about, write it, explain it, elaborate on it, give references about it and execute it like I will do. I like to see my ideas in practice.

However, I don't like to see my writing, or my ideas in practice and I am not given credit for it. That's a sort of plagiarism which is immoral. It is also lack of understanding of how much money, time, and energy it takes to think and write.

Others say they are busy. They don't have time to write. But I am busy and have been my entire life. I have been in school most of my life, got two graduate degrees while working as a school teacher and raising two kids, being very active in the community and church all my adult life. I write a monthly column, sometimes two, and still find time contribute a lot to the internet.

There are some who don't have to work that much to make ends meet, but don't do as much, or produce anything at all. There are others who can contribute to the internet, share their ideas, reach out to the community as part of their paid work, but don't.

I like your questions and hope that people will notice that I am not the only one concerned about Education. Sometimes people say they don't like my approach. I don't have a radio or a TV program. I can only write to individuals or in the internet. When I ask those who don't like my approach, how should I approach the issue of Education, they don't answer. Education is something I have been talking about at my church level since l995 and at the community since 2001, mostly by writing. But as I said before, I began to notice the detioration, the decline of my Haitian students' perfomance during the 1985-1986, 86-87 academic years, started to address it in l995.

In the mid l980's, no radio host in my community will accept a suggestion to talk about Education in their programs. Presently, only one host is open to educational, learning related announcements and another one started to announce educational programs last December. The main topics on Haitian radio programs here are mortgages, real estate, and evangelical style preaching. A colleague of mine has a monthly column where she writes about Educational issues . I am the only active teacher I know of who has been talking and writing for the longest time about various Educational issues. Some stakeholders' attitudes instead of being appreciative make me feel like I have become a nuisance (a pongongon as we say in Creole), on talking about Education across the board.

For instance, I was telling my hairdresser I strongly believe in whatever field someone is, he/she should bring or contribute on an educational component of it. A lot of women go to their hairdresser for hair breakage or dandruffs (kap in Creole) who should have instead seen a medical doctor, a nutritionist, or a dermatologist, or do exercise, get blood circulating in their heads. The hair problem is not necessarily cosmetic, but sometimes medical, and often genetic. That's an example.

What I have been saying lately to many stakeholders that each community or region needs a team with a person whose full time job is focusing on educating the community in all areas. In the US for instance, that person will look for outside resources that can be useful to the educational progress of the community in general. Let's remember we come from a country with 80% illeteracy rate and most of those 20% who read don't read. Lack of reading and lack of focus on Education will have a long term effect in our involvement, image, and production, and how we raise our children in the US, Canada, or Europe. Whether we call ourselves, Haitian-Americans or Canadien-Haitiens, or whatever the hyphen is, we are becoming more and more an integrated fabric of the African diaspora, of people of African descent living in the United States, Europe and Canada. Our presence in many leadership positions is evidence that we are part of the west. There is enough money and brains in the Haitian community to focus on Education.

I hope your concern will entertain more debate on the concept of Education accross the board.

Thanks again,
I appreciate your inquiry,
Nekita