Haiti’s education system suffers increasing challenges

Americas Now

Private education is often a luxury only the wealthiest can afford. But in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, far more children attend private schools than state ones.

The country’s constitution stipulates all Haitian children have the right to a free education but unfortunately, no government in Haitian history has come close to achieving that.

And setbacks, including the 2010 earthquake, have made the challenge even more difficult to achieve – even though millions of dollars still pour into the country to help rebuild infrastructure, buy supplies and pay teachers.

Correspondent Stephen Gibbs reports from Port-au-Prince, on the challenges of Haitian education.

Haiti's education challenge

Private education is often a luxury only the wealthiest can afford. But in Haiti, the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, far more children attend private schools than state ones. The country's constitution stipulates all Haitian children have the right to a free education but unfortunately, no government in Haitian history has come close to achieving that. And setbacks, including the 2010 earthquake, have made the challenge even more difficult to achieve. Correspondent Stephen Gibbs reports from Port-au-Prince, on the challenges of Haitian education.