Higher education struggles in post-earthquake Haiti
Miami Herald
April 20, 2010
PORT-AU-PRINCE -- On a recent weekday afternoon at the University of Haiti, students huddled under a large tree while a professor lectured over a megaphone, his voice booming over the rumble of generators and squeals of homeless children at play.
None of the students will get credit for attending this outdoor religion lesson, as the vast majority of Haiti's 25,000 university students have been shut out of class since the Jan. 12 earthquake toppled about 90 percent of the school buildings.
``There is no hope for this year, so our only hope is that our government will find a plan for next year,'' said Jeff Lefèvre, a communications student.
``We hear a lot of speeches about tents and food, but not about higher education. It's not what anybody is thinking about.''
It has been three months since the 7.0-magnitude earthquake destroyed nine of the state university's 13 campuses, and the country's largest institution of higher learning is still looking for tents and space to offer classes outdoors.
Some universities have reached out to schools in the United States, such as Florida International University, to form partnerships and seek help. FIU has worked for months with the University of Haiti to assess its needs.
Still, officials at both public and private universities in Haiti say that with food and shelter straining resources in a nation wracked with problems, higher learning is low on the list of priorities.
