Education in Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is a landlocked, West African country, it covers over 105,000 square miles and is part of the Sub-Saharan region. Citizens of Burkina Faso are known as Burkinabé and its capital city is Ouagadougou. In 2017 the country’s population was over 20 million and before being renamed Burkina Faso, it had been called the Republic of Upper Volta until 1984.
Burkina Faso borders six other African countries and ranks amongst the poorest countries in the world. In 2012, Burkina Faso experienced a humanitarian crisis, instability in neighbouring Mali had brought armed conflict and waves of refugees into Burkina Faso. In 2014, the country’s head of state was overthrown in a popular uprising, after ruling Burkina Faso for 27 years.
Educational Overview of Burkina Faso
Wayalghin Primary School in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, SourceEducation in Burkina Faso has a very similar structure to the rest of the world, primary schools, secondary schools, and higher education. The academic year in Burkina Faso officially runs from October to July. The Education Act means that schooling is compulsory between the ages of 6 and 15 but unfortunately this is not always enforced. The education system is based on the French model and the teaching language in all Burkina Faso schools is French.
According to figures released in a 2008 report by the United Nations Development Program, Burkina Faso had the lowest adult literacy rate in the world, at only 25.3%. However, the adult literacy rate of Burkina Faso increased from 12.8% in 1996 to 37.7% in 2015, growing at an average annual rate of 21.76%. In addition, in 2010, the Education Policy and Data Centre stated that 72% of 15-24year olds had not completed primary education in Burkina Faso.
Pre-School Education in Burkina Faso
There are three years of pre-primary school education in Burkina Faso, however, this is not compulsory or free. Pre-school covers the ages of three to five.Primary Education in Burkina Faso
Primary education in Burkina Faso is free, although there are not adequate resources in the country to provide free primary education to all children. Children start their primary education, enseignement primaire, at the age of six and this cover the first six grades. The six years at primary school is divided into three courses of two years each. At the end of this six years, students write an elementary school completion exam, certificat d`étude primaire (CEP) and this qualifies them for high school registration. A school week runs from Monday to Saturday, schools close on Thursdays. They have a break between noon and 3pm.
Although schools have very basic equipment, conditions are usually reasonable. The class size limit by law is 65 students per class, however, the low number of schools in some areas, mean that sizes can be much bigger. Sometimes, in rural areas, children have to pay for their own school supplies and it is not unusual for communities to be forced to construct their own primary school buildings.
Middle Education in Burkina Faso
A very small proportion of school children will go onto middle education. Burkina Faso has over three million pupils enrolled in primary and secondary education and of these pupils, around 78% are enrolled in primary education.
Young people attend Junior High School, enseignement post primaire general, between the ages of twelve and fifteen (grades 7-10). The Junior High curriculum includes languages, geography, history, mathematics and the sciences. When students successfully pass Junior High, they receive the Junior High School Diploma, brevet d`études du premier cycle (BEPC). This diploma gives students the chance to either register for Senior High School or enrol on a vocational course at Junior High Vocational School.
Secondary Education in Burkina Faso
Very few people will attend Senior High School, enseignement secondaire général, in Burkina Faso, those that do will attend between the ages of sixteen and eighteen (grades 11-13). After completing the three years of Senior High School, students will sit the final examination for their baccalaureate (BAC). They will need this if they want to go onto university.
Another Secondary Education choice is to take a vocational course. Junior High Vocational Schools provide professional training that can last either two or three years. Occupations that can be studied include: primary school teacher, nurse, midwife, police officer, customs officer and public administration clerk.
Higher Education in Burkina Faso
Students in Burkina Faso conjugate the verb “sing” in French, SourceThere are three institutions of higher education in Burkina Faso, the Polytechnic University of Bobo-Dioulasso, the Teachers Training College of Koudougou, and the University of Ouagadougou. There is also an International School of Ouagadougou open to foreign nationals as well as Burkinabè.
The Université Catholique de l'Afrique de l'Ouest opened its Burkina campus in Bobo-Dioulasso in 2000 (the Polytechnic University of Bobo-Dioulasso) and specialises in of food and agriculture. The University of Ouagadougou was established in 1974 and departments include: human sciences, legal and politic sciences, economic sciences & management, languages arts & communication, applied sciences, health sciences, life & earth sciences, and the institute of arts & crafts.
Students supervision rates are different depending on the university. At the University of Ouagadougou there is a lecturer to student ratio of one to twenty-four, whilst at The Polytechnic University of Bobo-Dioulasso it is one to three.
The University of Ouagadougou closed for two months in 2008, following student protests. The university closed on 27 June after violent conflicts between police and students. The students had been demonstrating against conditions of work, delayed grant and benefit payments and budget cuts, which had lead to lack of teachers. In the days before the university reopened, The National Association of Burkina Students (ANEB) met the university authorities and the minister responsible for higher education and agreed to demands over students' living conditions, grants and benefits. The university promised construction of new buildings including a lecture hall, 16 new photocopiers and 30 new computers. Teachers' demands were also satisfied with some buildings being converted into offices and laboratories.
There are now also online classes through the Institut de Formation Ouverte à Distance (IFOAD).
Influencing factors
Factors that have had an impact on the state of education in Burkina Faso have been: the number of available schools, a shortage of qualified instructors, families having to pay for school supplies and school fees, families on very low incomes and language barriers. Many families have only able to send one child to school, leaving the others to earn money for the family. They would usually send the oldest able male to school.Global partnership for education
Burkino Faso have been a Global Partnership for Education partner since 2002. With support from development partners, the Burkina Faso government has undertaken major innovations in education. They have addressed issues on: pre-school, primary, non-formal and girls’ education. Over the last couple of decades, Burkina Faso has made impressive progress: from 60% of children out of school in the early 2000s to 70% now enrolled in primary school.
The country is still facing big challenges, such as, persistent insecurity in the Sahel region. The GPE Board has given financial support to help enrolments in the regions most affected by the violence.
In 2016, the government of Burkina Faso reviewed its education sector plan (Programme sectoriel de l’education et de la formation - PSEF) and developed a new one to cover 2017-2030. The aims of the new plan are to:
- ensure a harmonious, equitable and inclusive early childhood development
- ensure a universal completion of primary schooling
- establish equitable and quality basic education for all
- deal with the lack of trainers in technical and vocational high schools
- extend technical and vocational training and education and adjust it to the needs of the economy
- adjust higher education to the needs of the economy
- foster governance in the management of the sector for an efficient conversion of resources into results
In December 2017, the GPE Board approved a new grant $33.8 million, to support the implementation of the country’s education sector plan. The grant is to be instigated over four years, from 2018 to 2021. With regards to the new grant, Burkina Faso has committed to achieving results in efficiency and equity as well as learning outcomes.
The previous GPE program ran between November 2013 and December 2017. It contributed to the following progress (results are for 2016):
- enrolment in primary school rates increased from 81.3% in 2013 to 86.1% in 2016
- 475 head of schools and supervisors were trained in inclusive education to support students with specific needs
- 449 additional classrooms were built in priority communities
- 106,170 young and adult participants enrolled in a literacy program
- 900 post-primary teachers were recruited
- 60 preschool teachers were recruited and trained
- More than 630 teachers were recruited for technical and vocational training
- 519 trainers, supervisors and teachers were trained in inclusive education
- 5,780 primary teachers were recruited and trained
Burkina Faso has made quick progress in decentralizing its educational system. Both establishing school management committees in 2008 and the delegation of budget autonomy to the local communities have accelerated their progress.