# The Haitian school under Jacques Abraham's microscope: a mirror of inequality

Evens Emmanuel, Quetya Aubin

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Evens Emmanuel, Quetya Aubin. The Haitian school under Jacques Abraham's microscope: a mirror of inequality. 2025. hal-05053493

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# The Haitian school under Jacques Abraham's microscope: a mirror of inequality

Evens Emmanuel<sup>a, b, 1</sup> et Quetya Aubin<sup>a, b</sup>

## Abstract

In his book L'école haïtienne : Entre ségrégation et rapports sociaux d'inégalité, Jacques Abraham demonstrates that school segregation in Haiti is a social construct deeply rooted in social relations of inequality. Far from being a neutral space, the school reproduces these inequalities in its classrooms. Although certain cases of academic success can be attributed to meritocracy, the author emphasizes that children's socialization is largely influenced by their socio-economic categories. He also highlights the effects of downward intergenerational trajectories, often ignored in educational policies. The aim of this note is to summarize the author's main arguments, while proposing a critical reflection on the societal implications of his conclusions.

**Keywords:** *Haitian school, social segregation, social relationships, inequalities, meritocracy, Jacques Abraham.*

## Introduction

In Haiti, school is often seen as a springboard to a better future. But for economist-educator Jacques Abraham, this idea is a mirage. In his book L'école haïtienne : Entre ségrégation et rapports sociaux d'inégalité, published by L'Harmattan in 2020, he argues that, far from reducing social inequalities, schools actually widen them. "The Haitian school is a faithful mirror of the inequalities in our society", he writes (Abraham, 2020). He is implicitly following in the footsteps of Pierre Bourdieu, who explores in *La reproduction* how educational systems perpetuate inequalities (Bourdieu et al., 1970).

Through a study carried out in the West department, Abraham demonstrates how the education system divides pupils according to their social background. This work attempts to decipher the author's main arguments for the reader, offering a critical reflection on the societal implications of his conclusions.

## Structure and methodology

<footnote><sup>a</sup>Pôle Haïti-Antilles, Haiti Sciences et Société (HaSci-So)</footnote>

<footnote><sup>b</sup>Equipe des Partenaires Scientifiques pour la Communication de la Recherche (E-PSi-CoRe),
Université Quisqueya</footnote>

<footnote n="1">¹ Corresponding author: evens.emmanuel@gmail.com</footnote>
"Raising the question of the social phenomenon "school segregation" or the Haitian school in the face of segregation and its link with socioeconomic relations of inequality raises many questions about the fundamental meaning of this reality and the mechanisms for understanding it, in a country where inequalities exist on all levels: health, education, income, etc., and affect the entire Haitian population (Abraham, 2020, p.1)."

Abraham (2020) introduces the book with a theoretical framework in which he presents the key concepts of his work. The text is structured in five parts, grouping together 11 chapters. The book's general conclusions are presented in Chapter 12.

The five parts of the book deal successively with:

1. The socio-economic foundations of school segregation.

2. Welfare and segregation at school in relation to social structure.

3. The sociological roots of school segregation.

4. The mechanisms and dynamics of school segregation.

5. School segregation, a mechanism reflecting social relations of inequality.

In the book's general conclusions, the author summarizes the main findings and strongly recommends reform of the Haitian education system.

"This work combines the historical approach and two approaches, quantitative and qualitative, with a mixed sequential explanatory specification to meet the objectives of understanding and explaining the dynamics of school segregation as well as the mechanisms by which it reflects social relations of inequality (Abraham, 2020, p 3)."

## A school that sorts its students

For Jacques Abraham, school segregation - the separation of pupils according to wealth or social status - is no accident: "It is a social construct, the fruit of the relationships of inequality that structure Haitian society", he explains (Abraham, 2020, p. 3). His survey of 303 people (teachers, parents, students, administrators), enriched by interviews, reveals a crude reality: schools reproduce social divisions in their classrooms. A posh private school with qualified teachers does not offer the same opportunities as a run-down public school. The author insists that, even if some poor pupils succeed thanks to their hard work, these cases of "meritocracy" are exceptions. "The success of a few should not mask the fact that schools favor children from affluent backgrounds (Abraham, 2020).

## Forgotten by the system: downward trajectories

One of Abraham's major contributions is his look at what he calls "descending intergenerational trajectories". These are families who, having enjoyed a certain affluence, fall into precariousness due to economic or social crises. Their children, who might once have had access to quality education, now find themselves in under-resourced schools. "The school system ignores these pathways and continues to privilege the elite," laments Abraham (2020). This observation is an electroshock: the school, supposed to be a social
elevator, abandons those who fall off halfway through. For the author, this is an injustice that must be corrected.

## A reality rooted in Haitian history

Abraham doesn't just point out the problems; he connects them to Haitian reality. His study gives a voice to those who experience school on a daily basis: overwhelmed teachers, worried parents, students held back by lack of resources. He shows how concrete obstacles - overcrowded classrooms, scarce textbooks, teaching in French while Creole dominates - exacerbate inequalities. For him, these challenges are part of a longer history: "Haitian schools still bear the traces of a colonial system that excluded the most disadvantaged", he asserts (Abraham, 2020). This historical perspective reinforces his call to rethink education.

## Towards a fairer school

By exposing the flaws in the system, the author invites us to imagine solutions, and draws on successful models available in the literature to propose concrete avenues:

* **Equity of resources:** Equip schools in poor neighborhoods as well as those in wealthy areas (Said, 1994).

* **Bilingual education:** Teaching in Creole and French to overcome language barriers (Bernstein, 1971).

* **Train teachers to be fair:** make teachers aware of social inequalities, so that they can better support all their students (Freire, 1974).

* **Student support:** Create mentoring programs to help disadvantaged children succeed (Bourdieu et al., 1970) and break the cycle of poverty.

* **Monitoring and evaluation:** Set up systems to observe and measure progress in reducing inequalities (UNESCO, 2020).

## Conclusion

In this book, the author confronts Haitian society as a whole with an inconvenient truth: the Haitian school, as it functions today, reinforces the injustices it should be fighting. "Transforming school means giving every child, rich or poor, the chance to dream big", he concludes (Abraham, 2020). His book is both a diagnosis and a call to action. Is an egalitarian school possible in Haiti? This book is an important and significant contribution to the sociology of education. The initial findings on school segregation will need to be validated further, by studying the possibility of extending the survey to the whole country, targeting both rural and urban schools, and involving all those concerned: educational authorities, parents, school managers, teachers and pupils.
References

Abraham, J. (2020). *L'école haïtienne: entre ségrégation et rapports sociaux inégalité*. Paris : L'Harmattan, 216p. ISBN: 978-2-343-19619-0.

Bourdieu, P., & Passeron, J. C. (1970). *La reproduction éléments pour une théorie du système d'enseignement*. Paris : Éditions de Minuit. Collection Le sens commun, 284p. ISBN: 9782707302267

Bernstein, B. (2003). *Class, codes and control: Applied studies towards a sociology of language* (Vol. 2). London and New York: Routledge-Taylor & Francis Group, 330p. ISBN: 0-415-302862.

Freire, P. (1974). *Pedagogie des opprimes, suivi de conscientisation et revolution: trad. du bresilien*. Paris: François Maspero, 206p. ISBN-13: 978-8430106042

Fanon, F. (1961). *Les Damnés de la terre*. Paris: La Découverte, 2002, 85-100.

Said, E.W. (1994). *Culture and Imperialism*. New York: Vintage Books, 380p. ISBN-13: 978-0679750543

UNESCO (2020). *Global education monitoring report, 2020: Inclusion and education: all means all*. English, Paris: UNESCO, 502 p. ISBN: 978-92-3-100388-2. https://doi.org/10.54676/JJNK6989