Education in Burkina Faso

Primary school in Gando, Burkina Faso

Education in Burkina Faso is structured in much the same way as in the rest of the world: primary, secondary, and higher education. As of 2008, despite efforts to improve education, the country had the lowest adult literacy rate in the world (25.3%).[1]

Primary and secondary

The Education Act makes schooling compulsory from age 6 to 16.[2] By law, education is free, but the government does not have adequate resources to provide universal free primary education.[2] Children are required to pay for school supplies, and communities are frequently responsible for constructing primary school buildings and teachers’ housing.[2] Children from poor families can continue to receive tuition-free education through junior high and high school, if their grades qualify.[2]

In 2002, the gross primary enrollment rate was 46 percent, and the net primary enrollment rate was 36 percent.[2] Gross and net enrollment ratios are based on the number of students formally registered in primary school and therefore do not necessarily reflect actual school attendance.[2] In 1998, 26.5 percent of children ages 6 to 14 years were attending school.[2] As of 2001, 66 percent of children who started primary school were likely to reach grade 5.[2]

School conditions are usually reasonable with very basic equipment. Legally the size limit for one class is 65 students, but in many rural areas classes are much bigger because of the lack of schools. If a school is full, children may get turned away and will have to try again the next year.

There is an International School of Ouagadougou open to foreign nationals and Burkinabè.

School session

A week runs from Monday to Saturday, with the schools closed on Thursday. Burkina Faso has a national curriculum. The subjects taught include Production, where children may learn to plant maize and trees or keep chickens, on school land. They have a break between noon and 3pm.

Higher education

University of Ouagadougou, 2010

As of 2010 there were three main public universities in Burkina Faso: The Polytechnic University of Bobo-Dioulasso, the University of Koudougou and the University of Ouagadougou. The first private higher education school was established in 1992. Supervision rates are different from one school to another. At the University of Ouagadougou there is one teacher for every 24 students, while at The Polytechnic University of Bobo-Dioulasso they have one teacher for every three students.

In 2010/2011 the University of Ouagadougou had around 40,000 students (83% of the national population of university students), the University of Koudougou had 5,600 students, and the Polytechnic University of Bobo-Dioulasso had 2,600.[3] The private universities each had less than 1,000 students.[3]

Administration

The University Ouagadougou and Bobo-Dioulasso are composed of five levels of decision making: the board of directors, the university assembly, the university council, institutions, and departments.

Influencing factors

References

  1. ↑ UNDP Human Development Report 2007/2008 at the Wayback Machine (archived April 29, 2011). Palgrave Macmillan. 2007. ISBN 978-0-230-54704-9
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Burkina Faso". 2005 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor. Bureau of International Labor Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor (2006). This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  3. 1 2 Government of France, MINISTERE DES AFFAIRES ETRANGERES ET EUROPEENNES, AMBASSADE DE FRANCE AU BURKINA FASO, FICHE BURKINA FASO (French) http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/IMG/pdf/BURKINA_18-5-11__2_.pdf
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