The earthquakes earlier this year in Chile and Haiti have brought about major problems for their economies, infrastructures, health care systems, and education. The two articles linked today include information on the challenges they still face as they attempt to recover along with some updates on the current status of education in the two countries.
In Chile, the highest priority with respect to rebuilding damaged schools is to give the nearly 600,000 displaced school children a place to go during the day while their parents work. The rest of the article on Chile talks about the disparities of the educational system and the needs of the country.
In Haiti, the hope is that formal higher education will return next year since roughly 90% of university buildings were destroyed in the earthquake. Some schools are trying to create partnerships with foreign universities or set up tents and portable buildings near campus to extend educational offerings as soon as possible, but the state of the education system was already so strained that it seems unlikely that widespread formal education will continue this year. However, many have said that the physical devastation in the country will allow the government to rebuild the already corrupt and poorly working system from scratch. The article ends on a positive note with an example of a private university that is attempting to hold classes already.
Chile: http://www.thepulse.cl/2010/04/23/chile%E2%80%99s-public-education-system-suffers/
Haiti: http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/HAITI+COLLEGES+THEIR+FEET/2939386/story.html