The Ivorian government no longer wants dunces in school. From now on, all college or high school students with a low average over the year will simply be excluded from the establishment.
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The start of the school year was special this year in Côte d’Ivoire. A new government measure now hangs like a sword of Damocles over the heads of students in difficulty. All college or high school students who obtain an average of less than 8.5 at the end of the year will now simply be excluded from their establishment.
According to the Minister of Education, Mariatou Koné, this is “raise the level, encourage students to work and fight against mediocrity”. She also specifies that this measure has existed since the 1970s in the country but was no longer applied. There remains the question of the future of these “bad students” thus thrown out.
The question is currently agitating the educational community, especially since the youngest concerned will be barely over 10 years old. Will they become bandits, or swell the ranks of those we call “microbes” here, these young minor delinquents who act in gangs in working-class neighborhoods? The government wants to be reassuring: “Students will not be excluded from the school systemassures the Minister of National Education, there are bridges with technical education and vocational training”.
Trade unions are not as confident, pointing to the lack of technical high schools, particularly within the country. They also fear that this new threat to students will fuel teacher corruption. Parents of students see it as a “double jeopardy” for the most struggling students. However, the measure is welcomed, especially by the teaching staff. It also emanates from the Estates General of National Education which were held last year. However, all this should not make us forget the serious difficulties facing public education in Côte d’Ivoire: 60 to 80 students per class, a glaring lack of teachers and a 30% success rate in the baccalaureate.