Transitioning from the Colonial School to the Haitian School: Josué Mérilien's New Credo

PORT-AU-PRINCE. — Back from a two-month tour in the Grand Sud, Professor Josué Mérilien, head of the National Union of Haitian Teachers (UNNOH), presents an observation that is both lucid and hopeful: “despite the profound crisis the country is going through, the Haitian education sector is not dead,” declared Mérilien, who was a guest on the Thermomètre program on Radio Solidarité. In several rural communities, he asserts, local initiatives are emerging to keep the flame of education alive. “Many people are trying to invest in this sector, often with very few resources, but a lot of will,” confided the union leader, known for his sometimes radical stances on the education system. Author of a work on citizenship, Josué Mérilien believes that the current Haitian school remains trapped by a model inherited from colonization, incapable of forming true citizens aware of their rights and duties. “The school we have today does not educate Haitian citizens. It educates according to the prototype of the colonial model. We must deconstruct the current model to Haitianize the school, to build one that is based on our values,” he declared. A Critique of the Ministerial Status Quo The union leader did not mince words regarding the Minister of Education, Antoine Augustin, whom he accuses of acknowledging the collapse of the Haitian school without taking concrete actions for its reconstruction. According to Mérilien, the rebuilding of the education system necessarily requires a clear political vision, a societal project based on self-knowledge, and an education rooted in Haitian reality. Three Pillars for Transforming the Haitian School To transition from a colonial school to a school of citizen transformation, Josué Mérilien proposes three priority pillars:

1. Reorganize national education through a public policy that values the teaching of Haitian culture, history, and knowledge;
2. Launch a social mobilization to impose an educational model capable of reconnecting the Haitian being to their citizenship and humanity;
3. Acquire pedagogical tools that promote the teaching of civic, moral, and human values.

Towards a School of Liberation Rather Than Alienation For Mérilien, rethinking school means rethinking society. Education should no longer be a tool for social reproduction or cultural domination, but a space for emancipation, dignity, and national creativity. His advocacy is part of a long-term effort, carried by a generation of teachers, intellectuals, and community actors, convinced that the future of Haiti will first be decided in the school classrooms. “A Haitian school is not just a school in Haiti. It is an institution that shapes Haitians in their spirit, their culture, and their consciousness,” concludes the union leader and professor. Jean Mapou