Haiti Converting to Charter Schools: More Disaster Capitalism

[Starry Messenger]

http://dailycensored.com/2010/05/29/haiti-converting-to-charter-schools-more-disaster-capitalism/

The success of the New Orleans “disaster capitalism” project in which the public school system was taken over by charter schools during the re-building after Katrina, has led to similar developments in other destitute places of the world. Haiti, is a prime example. International philanthropy is poised to rebuild the struggling country’s education system through loans with strings which will make their education system go charter. This would seem to be what Bill Gates and other opportunists would call “leveraging” philanthropy. By always appearing to be ”saving” people and systems, the new breed of venture philanthropists find tremendous opportunities in places like Haiti to reform them along lines which will be profitable in the future.

“Along with financial support from the IDB and other donors, the Haitian government will also receive technical assistance from leading experts in education reform. One key advisor will be Paul Vallas, who led the transformation of the New Orleans public schools system after Hurricane Katrina.”http://itsdc16.iadb.org/news/detail.cfm?lang=en&artid=7150&id=7150

...

One wonders how long it will be until Duncan declares that, as he said of the New Orleans’ catastrophe, the earthquake was the “best thing” to ever happen to Haiti.

As Naomi Klein observed, almost immediately after the quake in Haiti, the Heritage Foundation was already suggesting ways take advantage of Haiti as a window of opportunity. See her interview on Democracy Now: http://www.democracynow.org/2010/1/14/naomi_klein_issues_haiti_disaster_capitalism

[proud2BlibKansan]

1. Unlike New Orleans

The people in Haiti were not allowed to leave after the earthquake.

[Starry Messenger]

2. So true.

:(

[Mika]

3. Thanks for posting this story. K&R

I hope you don't mind that I re cross posted this in DU's Latin America forum (since DU's owners & mods insist that Cuba and Haiti topics belong there)....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=405x37218


There's a fair amount of Haiti threads here...

DU's Latin America forum...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topics&forum=405



:hi:

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[Starry Messenger]

4. You're welcome Mika.

Thank you for cross-posting. I will remember to read in the Latin America forum more often. I often go to just 3 or 4 subforums and forget to look around. Lots of good threads in there! :hi:

[Mika]

8. We'd love to have ya over there!

:hi:

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[Hannah Bell]

5. some nights i find the pretense & hypocrisy & slimy money-mindedness so overwhelmingly disgusting

i feel i'd cheer if they dropped dead in the street.

haiti has been called a vision of our future -- where the country is run by foreign ngo's all funded by finance capital, doing their will while pretending to do "good works," & the "government" is a sinecured rubber stamp paid by the same finance capital, the real masters.

they are disgusting, evil criminals, you can smell the corruption even over the expensive cologne.

[teacher gal]

6. Yes!

The charter school movement has unfortunately been hijacked by the same neoliberal mindset that has plunged our country into despair. All of course framed in the rhetoric of concern for poor children and civil rights.

I'm going to rec this post if I'm not too late!

[Dinger]

7. duncan is a vulture

As I've said countless times before, DUNCAN HAS TO GO!