SCHOOL

Education in Burkina Faso

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Primary and secondary

The Education Act makes schooling compulsory from age 6 to 16.^[2] The official language for education is French.

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[edit]

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.