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Singing are the pupils of the remote Beau-Roc primary school in Haiti. One of them plays a guitar
made from an empty oil tin. Their headmistress, Emile Jean-Noel, is one of the few women school
principals in the country.
Over 70 % of Haitian population live below the poverty line with inadequate food, water, schools,
or housing. To reduce the hunger that prevents learning and to encourage parents to send their children
to school, meals are provided by the World Food Programme.
"We are so cut off we have many difficulties," comments Emile, adding that finding chalk, school
books and other materials is practically impossible. Emile tries to encourage those around her to make
use of all available resources. Her efforts are bearing fruit. One of her successes was convincing local
women to contribute to their children's schooling and increase their own income by selling embroidery
(刺绣) and other handicrafts.
Recent political instability has meant that the country has not invested in education for ten years.
Enrolment(入学) is a mere 44 per cent and a little less than a half of those entering primary school finish
it. Less than a third of these go on to secondary school. In rural areas it is not rare to find 17- and
18 year-olds in primary school. Beau-Roc has only 4 teachers for 260 pupils. Emile works constantly
to improve her pupils'environment. Under her direction, a local worker is now constructing a storehouse
for the food delivered regularly by the World Food Programme.
Not only is Emile's salary too little, but she receives it irregularly. For her, transport is a real headache. She lives five kilometers away and has to take a privately-owned bus, costing more than she can afford.
"The decision to be a rural teacher in Haiti should not be taken lightly", Emile comments. "With all the
sacrifices and risks it requires, only those who are really cut out for teaching should do it." Nevertheless,
Emile loves her job. "I always feel at home with the children and, the parents understand what I'm doing." |
