Côte d'Ivoire Education
History of EducationCôte d'Ivoire.s education system is modeled after the French system, which was established in Côte d'Ivoire at the end of the nineteenth century. Though the system was gradually expanded, by 1945 the country had only four university graduates. Primary- and secondary-school establishments and enrollments skyrocketed in the 1950s as independence approached and cities felt the need to start educational institutions. Education continued to be a high priority, receiving about 1/3 of the national budget in the 1980s. By the late 1980s, about 15% of the population was enrolled in the education system, and Côte d'Ivoire.s literacy rate rested at 53% for men and 31% for women.
The Education System
There are three parts to the standard education system in Côte d'Ivoire. First, there is primary school, which lasts six years. About 75% of boys and 50% of girls enroll in primary school. Primary school teaches French, reading, writing, and arithmetic, supplemented with various other offerings. Rural schools also teach agricultural methods. When students finish primary school they take exams to earn a certificate of elementary education (CEPE) and gain admission to secondary schools.
All secondary schools are government-funded (some primary schools are private, mostly Catholic). Secondary school is seven years, divided into two cycles. After the first four years, students receive the certificate of the lower cycle of secondary study (BEPC), and after the second cycle of three years they earn the baccalauréat, the equivalent of one or two years of U.S. university studies.
Complementary courses are available to those who do not gain entrance to secondary schools. These courses can lead to the completion of the elementary certificate (BE), or the BEPC and admission to the second cycle of secondary school. Vocational training and Catholic Church funded teacher training are other popular alternatives to secondary school. Many graduates of vocational schools continue to higher technical institutions, and many teacher trainees gain government positions by working their way up in the system of teacher unions, which is tied to the government.
Higher EducationCôte d'Ivoire has one university, the National University of Côte d'Ivoire, founded as the Center for Higher Education in Abidjan in 1959. It became the University of Abidjan in 1964. Just over half of the student body is Ivorian, and about 1/6 are women. Other higher education institutions can award certificates of training in various fields, but they work in cooperation with the national university, not as part of it.
~LM