Diario las Américas., 1958-04-29
Know thy
Neighboir
BY ANTONIO RUIZ

HAITI - Vocational education,
In a considerable scale, is of re-
cent development in Haiti. Until
1925, there were only three voca-
tional schools, one of which, for
girls, was an still is operated by
the Belgian Sisters. There are now
ten vocational and two pre-voca-
tional schools for boys, and two
vocational and two pre-vocational
schools for girls.
The course of study in the voca-
tional schools usully covers a pc
riod of three years. The trades
taught are cabinet making, auto
mechanics, masonry, tinsmithing,
blackSmithing, tailoring and shoe
making, for boys; cooking, sewing,
dresSmaking, embroidery and 9TH
er needle work for girls.
There are several private com
mercial schools in Port-au-Prince,
in which bookkeeping, shorthand
and tipping are taught. Lack of
trained instructors, however, has
been one of the main drawbacks
of the educational system of Hal
ii. Until 1914, there was only one
normal school for girls in Port
au-Prince; in October of that year
a second one was opened with the
aid of specialists from the Inter
American Education Foundation.
Students who have completed
eight years of primary education
may be admitted to normal school
for three years of training. The
curriculum includes the French
language and literature, mathema-
tics, natural sciences, geography,
history, eivics, English, ethics, psy-
chology, drawing and education
al sciences, including methods,
school legislation and administra-
ton, principles of education, prac-
tice teaching, phsical education
and hygiene, child care and nurs-
ing. The curriculum Was revised
in 1913 so as to give more en-
phaSiS to agriculture, home econo-
and social activities. Men teachers
for rural schools are trained in the
Normal Section of the Practical
School of Agriculture. Admission
is based upon completion OF the
fifth year of secondary school.
In recent years definite steps
have been taken toward the or
g~anization of the University Of
Haiti. In 1913, a presidential de-
cree authorized establishment of
the "Conseil de l'Universite d'Hai-
ii" to coordinate the activities OF
the various institutions of higher
learning. In that year, for the first
time in history, all the centers OF
higher education granted their
diplomas in a common ceremony,
under the auspices of the Coun-
Gil. Another important s%tep-point-
ing to the creation of a Faculty OF
Education were the summer
schools organized in 1943 for teach
ers of the lycees, in which Amerl-
can, French and Haitian profess
sors took part.
In 1914, the 'Ecole National de
Droit" became the Faculty OF Law,
The Military School, which trains
young men who have completed
their secondary education to be-
come officers in the national army
and police force, and the School
of Medicine, which offers courses
in medicine, pharmacy, dentistry
and nursing, are under the De-
partment of Interior; the School
of Applied Sciences, a private III
stitution subsidized by the State,
is under the control of the De-
partment of Agriculture and La
Dor and the "Ecole Apostolique"
where students prepare for. the
Catholic priesthood, is under the
Department of Religion.
Spanish Version Page 5