On Monday, November 25, 1929, I presented to President Borno the attached
memorandum, suggesting that the Damien situation be handled as I have
outlined, but President Borno desired to wait several days in order to
give Mr. Price, the new Minister of Public Instruction, an opportunity
to settle the matter.
[Enclosure]
The American High Commissioner (
Russell
) to President Borno
Memorandum
Understanding that the striking students of the Ecole Centrale will
not, in spite of the Presidential Arrete of November 18, 1920,
return to their classes, it is considered appropriate to take proper
steps to meet the new situation.
[Page 180]
The Ecole Centrale was formed primarily for the purpose of training
agricultural and industrial teachers to be placed as such in the
rural farm schools in the country and in industrial schools in the
cities.
In view of the lack of education of the country boys, it was
necessary in the beginning to obtain the students for the Ecole
Centrale from the cities and a large majority was taken from
Port-au-Prince. It was realized by the Service Technique that this
student material was not the best inasmuch as it was drawn from a
class that was not accustomed to manual labor and was even
prejudiced against it. It was thought, however, that this obstacle
could temporarily be overcome by the creation of a sufficient
incentive, and for this purpose “bourses” were established. The
student thereby not only received free tuition from the Government
but was paid for going to school.
The method of selection of city boys was designed, however, to be
only temporary. The rural farm schools, it was hoped, would
eventually furnish the student personnel for the Ecole Centrale. The
most intelligent boys in the rural farm schools being sent to
secondary schools such as Plaisance, where they would pursue higher
grades of studies that would fit them to take up the course at the
Ecole Centrale. At the present time such a class is at Plaisance.
The boys live at the school and some have successfully completed
their first year and are now on their second year of the course.
These boys, coming from the rural districts, are accustomed to work.
They have no such prejudices as apparently preclude, at the present
time, a majority of the city boys from undertaking courses where
they have to engage in manual labor and in whom time alone and a
change in the condition of the country can only inculcate a
realization of the dignity of labor. Unfortunately, a crisis
occurred before the Service Technique had had sufficient time to
develop its plan as outlined above, of obtaining its student
material for the Ecole Centrale from the rural districts. The
situation is now apparently acute and it becomes necessary to take
immediate action to meet it. The following plan is, therefore,
suggested:
The Service Technique feels confident that within the course of two
or three weeks, it could assemble at the Ecole Centrale (Damien)
thirty or forty young men taken from the cities and rural districts
of Haiti, who are accustomed to work. Work has no repugnance for
them and in addition, they have an education sufficient to permit of
their pursuing a course at the Ecole Centrale.
As these young men would come from distant sections of the Republic,
it would be necessary and desirable to furnish accommodations for
them at the school at Damien. Until a suitable dormitory can be
erected, the students would be housed in one of the large rooms of
the school building, cots and bedding being furnished by the [Page 181] school. There is at
present a restaurant service at Damien which could be easily
extended to provide meals at a low cost for these young men. The
payment for board, towels, and accessories, could be accomplished
either by giving a “bourse” of seventy-five Gourdes per month to
each student and deducting from it the amount necessary for board
and accessories, or by the Government employing a part of the funds
now devoted to “bourses” to the payment of board and lodging for the
students. If payment is made in the nature of “bourses”, such aid
will not be withdrawn so long as the student makes an average
passing grade in his scholastic work and gives reasonable
satisfaction in his practical work.
The bourses thus applied should be given to all and if necessary
slightly increased to permit of students having a certain amount of
spending money for the purchase of necessary clothing and other
articles.
Since the students will be required to live at the Ecole Centrale, it
will no longer be necessary to run the busses between Port-au-Prince
and the Ecole Centrale and the money thus saved on transportation
can be devoted to the purchase of material for the immediate
construction of a temporary dormitory which will comfortably house
the students. It is thought that if such material is thus purchased,
the industrial section of the student body might, the course of
studies being so arranged, devote the afternoons to practical work
in assisting in the building of the dormitory.
Students thus entering this government school should be required to
sign an obligation to abide by the school regulations.
In order to put the above suggestions into effect, it would only be
necessary for the issuance of a Presidential Arrete to the effect
that the students of the Ecole Centrale not having availed
themselves of the provisions of said arrêté shall be dropped from
the rolls of the school. The Service Technique will, of course, have
to be instructed to carry out the above outlined suggestions.
If the above meets with approval, it is important to recognize that
no publicity should be given to it. The old student body would be
dropped. The Service Technique would unostentatiously recruit the
new student body and the school would take up its normal function of
training teachers before the public was aware that it had resumed
its activities.
