Education in Haiti

In this article in the New York Times, the enduring devastation of the disaster in Haiti was spelled out again. Once the country moves beyond the life and death urgency of the days and weeks following the quake, there is the harrowing reality of the educational system that was only minimally serving the country even before it was rocked off its foundation.

Part of the reason that the quake was so devastating, as this article points out, is that the nation lacks trained professionals-- people like urban planners and architects. This is both a cause of the extent of the disaster and an urgent area for improvement. Some american colleges have offered to help the displaced university students, but what about the younger students? I sent money, clothes and even my backpacking tent to Haiti in what feels like increasingly futile efforts to make a difference. Independent schools seem to be particularly well situated to make a difference with this generation of school-age students in Haiti. Perhaps residential schools could offer extra spots and support to small groups of students. Day schools could look offer spots tuition-free to students in an study-abroad type model. Action Plan: contact author of the article and then write to the universities who are doing this work. Perhaps NAIS can get involved if they aren't already.