Global Voices Secondary Activities: Election and Education in Haiti

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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, thegovernment s preferred successor of outgoing President Rene Preval.Haitis Provisional Electoral Counc il has denied the fraud allegations, despite streetprotests.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 todiscount the votes.There is a concern that Haiti s disputed elections may have partly been the result o f anunstable education system, because many voters did not know how to read thecandidates names.

Education in Haiti

Even before the earthquake, Haiti was not only the poorest country in the westernhemisphere, but also one of the poorest and least developed countries in the world. Itfaced many political, economic and social problems.Haitis education system faces many challenges, inc luding lack of infrastructure and aprivatized school structure that demands high fees.Only 50 per cent of Haiti s children are enrolled in primary school . Additionally, only twoper 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
http://www.unicef.org/http://www.unicef.org/http://www.unicef.org/http://www.bbc.co.uk/http://www.bbc.co.uk/http://www.bbc.co.uk/http://www.bbc.co.uk/http://www.unicef.org/


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Global Voices Secondary Educator Resources

Themes and Course ConnectionsHaiti, leadership, election, education, and poverty.Curriculum Connections: The Arts, Canadian and World Studies, English, SocialSciences and Humanities, Civics.

MaterialsBlackboardChart paperPaperComputers and internetGlobal Voices column

Specific Expectations and Learning GoalsStudents 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 varietyof 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 ideasinto action.

Knowledge and Understanding1. Development Indicators (estimated time: 30 minutes)

a. Write the following terms on the board: population density, death rate, lifeexpectancy, percentage of the population below the poverty line, and literacyrate.

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

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 theinformation sheet to further explore the concepts and contexts being discussed. From here, teacherscan select from the questions provided below. Activities are structured to introduce students to theissues, then allow them to explore and apply their learnings. Extension and conclusion activities areincluded 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 strategiesare not included.


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it mean when a country has a high birth rate? What does it mean for a country tohave 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 ofHaiti is 53 per cent. Ask students to explain what this means.

e. Compare Haitis national literacy rate to Canada s (99 per cent literacy). Ask theclass to share their reactions to these statistics and brainstorm what factors mayaccount for this difference.

f. Divide the students into groups of four and ask them to research Haiti and recordthe statistics for the different development indicators listed on the board.

g. Once groups have compiled their data, ask them to analyze the data and identifyareas 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?

Thinking1. 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 theauthor encouraging?

viii. Evidence: list several facts/arguments that support the main idea andhelp to convince the reader or inform them of the issue. Does the authorprovide 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.

Communication1. 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 paperwith 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 possiblewithout 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 askingthe 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?

Application1. 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 onaverage $12 per month, a significant expense when 70 per cent of the populationlives on less than $2 a day . Divide the class into pairs; ask one member of the pairto discuss why they thinkprivate schooling is a good thing, and the other student todiscuss 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 thats right and one side thats wr ong?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 yourstudents. 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
http://www.haitielections2010.com/http://www.haitielections2010.com/http://www.haitielections2010.com/http://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/11/28/haiti-election-candidates457.htmlhttp://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/11/28/haiti-election-candidates457.htmlhttp://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/11/28/haiti-election-candidates457.htmlhttps://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ha.htmlhttps://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ha.htmlhttps://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ha.htmlhttps://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ha.htmlhttp://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/haiti_statistics.htmlhttp://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/haiti_statistics.htmlhttp://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/haiti_statistics.htmlhttp://www.unicef.org/infobycountry/haiti_statistics.htmlhttps://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ha.htmlhttps://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/ha.htmlhttp://www.cbc.ca/world/story/2010/11/28/haiti-election-candidates457.htmlhttp://www.haitielections2010.com/

Documents

Global Voices Secondary Activities: Election and Education in Haiti