Language Policy in Haitian Education: A History of Conflict over the Use of Kreyòl as Language of Instruction
Authors: DeGraff Michel , Frager William Scott , Miller Haynes 
Published: July 2023

Abstract: Language-in-education policy in Haiti has historically favored French as the language of instruction from the earliest levels of primary school. This has contributed to preventing most children from the monolingual Kreyòl-speaking majority from receiving a quality education, succeeding in school, and accessing the means for socioeconomic progress. Though this has been recognized as a problem since the nation’s independence from France in 1804, this language-based exclusion has yet to be properly addressed. Through an analysis of publicly available documents produced by the Ministry of Education and relevant stakeholders, this article provides a historical overview of Haitian language-in-education policy followed by a critical evaluation of the documents’ contents. The historical overview is split into two parts. First, we summarize policy from independence through 1979, when Kreyòl was first legalized as both language of instruction (LOI) and as object of instruction (OOI). Second, we consider major education-policy documents starting from the pro-Kreyòl reform of Minister of Education Joseph C. Bernard (1979–1982) through November 3, 2022, when we submitted this article for review toward publication. Our evaluation of these documents reveals that, while Kreyòl has made gains from a longitudinal perspective, Bernard’s famous reform has been repeatedly mischaracterized to justify policies that promote French as LOI. Moreover, the Ministry has tended to adopt early-exit transitional language policies (early transition from Kreyòl to French as LOI) that are known to fail (as opposed to more successful additive approaches, such as mother-tongue-based multilingual education ), and student success is often predicated on quickly achieving the unrealistic second-language-attainment goal of balanced bilingualism . This goal favors children from elite francophone households, whereas the goal of functional bilingualism is more well-adapted and realistic in the context of a student population that is essentially monolingual in Kreyòl. This article aims to inform stakeholders of the history and challenges surrounding Kreyòl as LOI—a task given new importance in view of the efforts currently being put forth by the present minister of education, Nesmy Manigat, to implement key aspects of the Bernard Reform and valorize Haiti’s national language in the school system. Our primary objective here is to help break, at long last, Haiti’s pernicious cycle of exclusion based on language and education. Rezime: Politik lang nan sistèm lekòl ann Ayiti te toujou valorize franse kòm lang ansèyman depi nan ti klas primè yo. Preferans sa a kontribye nan mete baboukèt sou pifò ti moun ki soti nan majorite sa a ki pale kreyòl sèlman : baboukèt sa a anpeche yo resevwa yon bon edikasyon, sa anpeche yo reyisi lekòl epi sa anpeche yo jwenn mwayen pou avansman sosyal ak ekonomik. An 1804, Ayiti te bat Lafrans pou n te rive jwenn endepandans nou. Se depi lè sa a lidèchip peyi a te rekonèt baryè lengwistik la. Malgre sa, nou pa ko janm rive kaba esklizyon sa a. Nan atik sa a, nou analize yon seri dokiman ofisyèl ki soti nan Ministè Edikasyon Nasyonal ak lòt enstitisyon k ap feraye nan sektè edikasyon ann Ayiti. Dokiman sa yo disponib devan piblik la epi yo pèmèt nou trase yon itinerè istorik nan dosye politik lang nan sistèm edikasyon ann Ayiti. Epi, tou, nou evalye kontni dokiman yo pou n byen konprann lojik ki ladan. Nou divize itinerè istorik la an de (2) pati. An lagan, nou rezime politik lengwistik peyi a soti 1804 jiska 1979 lè leta te premye legalize kreyòl kòm lang ansèyman (LA) e kòm objè ansèyman (OA). Ann apre, nou konsidere dokiman sa yo ki pi enpòtan nan politik edikasyon ann Ayiti soti nan refòm Minis Joseph C. Bernard nan peryòd 1979–1982 rive nan dat 3 novanm 2022 lè nou te soumèt atik sa a pou evalyasyon nan kad pwojè piblikasyon. Evalyasyon nou sou dokiman sa yo montre ki jan, malgre mouvman kreyòl te rive fè pwogrè nan istwa peyi a, gen otorite k ap plede defigire reprezantasyon refòm Bernard 1982 a pou yo kore yon politik ki ankouraje lang franse kòm LA ; epi, tou, Ministè a te vin gen tandans adopte yon politik tranzisyon rapid—soti nan kreyòl kòm LA rive nan franse kòm LA—ki souvan kreye echèk, olye pou yo adopte yon apwòch aditif ki gen plis chans pou reyisi, tankou edikasyon miltileng ki baze sou lang matènèl ; epi se kon sa siksè elèv yo souvan vin bloke an ba yon objektif bilengwis ekilibre . Objektif sa a se pou avantaj ti moun ki soti nan elit ki pale franse a. E poutan, objektif bilengwis fonksyonèl la pi byen adapte e li pi reyalis nan kontèks yon popilasyon kote se kreyòl la ki rele pifò aprenan chè mèt chè mètrès. Ki fè n ekri atik sa a gen pou n enfòme moun ki konsène yo sou istwa ak defi ki antoure lang kreyòl la kòm LA. Jounen jodi a, analiz sa a vin pi enpòtan toujou lè n konsidere jefò Minis Edikasyon Nasyonal la, Nesmy Manigat, k ap feraye pou l enplemante kèk aspè fondal natal nan Refòm Bernard 1982 a, pou valorizasyon lang nasyonal la nan sistèm lekòl peyi a. Objektif prensipal pa nou se ede kraze kokenn chenn baryè sa yo ki, depi digdantan, ap sèvi ak lang ansanm ak edikasyon pou konsolide apatèd nan peyi a. (N ap prepare yon vèsyon kreyòl atik sa a k ava parèt nan yon pwochenn nimewo Jounal Etid Ayisyen — Journal of Haitian Studies .)