[00:00.00]From VOA Learning English,
[00:02.01]this is the Education Report.
[00:04.97]Haiti is among the poorest nations in the world,
[00:08.83]only about half the children in the country
[00:11.73]go to primary school.
[00:13.73]And the United Nations children's agency UNICEF says,
[00:18.65]fewer than 25 percent attend secondary school.
[00:23.31]Many Haitian schools are in poor condition.
[00:26.87]They lack running water and dependable electricity.
[00:31.70]The United States Institute of Peace
[00:34.26]has called the education system in Haiti "dysfunctional",
[00:38.56]it says reforms and financial assistance are badly needed.
[00:43.05]Last week, U.S. Education Secretary, Arne Duncan
[00:47.54]visited Haiti to discuss its education system.
[00:51.64]He met with Haitian President Michel Martelly.
[00:55.19]Mr Martelly was elected in 2011,
[00:58.59]he is working on his campaign promise
[01:01.45]to make education required and free of charge for every child.
[01:07.41]Mr Duncan announced that the U.S. Agency
[01:10.76]for International Development(USAID) will invest
[01:13.97]millions of dollars to improve Haiti's education system.
[01:18.72]The agency will invest the money through its Room to Learn program,
[01:24.23]a program seeks to increase equality in opportunities for education.
[01:30.22]Mr Duncan said the United States
[01:33.07]will also provide technical assistance to Haiti's Education Ministry.
[01:38.83]The American Education Secretary spoke
[01:42.24]with VOA's Creole Service after he returned to the U.S.
[01:47.09]He said Haitian lawmakers are considering legislation
[01:51.06]that would expand funding for education.
[01:54.06]He said that if the measure passes,
[01:56.51]the law would be hugely important.
[01:59.51]Mr Duncan talked about his visits to several schools in Haiti,
[02:04.28]these included a school for children who live on the street.
[02:08.84]Mr Duncan praised the students for their courage
[02:12.63]and their efforts to gain a better life.
[02:15.39]"To hear their stories of why they are working so hard,
[02:18.25]and why they want to get off the streets
[02:20.79]- I'll never forget it," said Duncan.
[02:23.46]Mr Duncan noted that many children lost parents in the 2010 earthquake.
[02:30.12]Another school he visited had 110 students in a single classroom.
[02:36.34]He also said it is very rare for Haitian school to have computers.
[02:42.09]However, he said most students are able to get a meal at school.
[02:47.45]For many, that is their only meal of the day.
[02:50.86]In his interview with the Creole Service,
[02:54.27]Mr Duncan also talked about language use in Haitian schools.
[02:59.27]The country has two official languages - Creole and French.
[03:05.27]Most Haitians speak Creole but most schools use French.
[03:11.16]Mr Duncan said he believes this situation
[03:14.30]is difficult for children who learn Creole at home.
[03:17.80]"And I think that for other challenges students are facing,
[03:22.23]when their teacher speaking a different language from use,
[03:26.35]that can be pretty hard," said Duncan.
[03:27.98]He praised an experimental program
[03:30.88]that teaches reading in Creole in about 300 schools.
[03:35.88]Mr Duncan also noted the importance of having good data to help schools.
[03:42.01]He said there is a need for collecting more basic information
[03:46.14]like the number of schools, the number of teachers
[03:49.68]and how the student are progressing.
[03:52.17]And that's the Education Report from VOA Learning English.
[03:57.25]I'm Avi Arditti.