As part of the whole Peace Corps goal #3 (something to the effect of sharing Togolese life and culture with the American people), here is my attempt at explaining the Togolese school system. Since Togo was once a French colony, many French systems were adopted by Togo after independence; therefore the Togolese school system is apparently the same as the French school system. For those of you unaware of the French system, here is a brief summary:
The Togolese school system consists of 13 levels. Children begin their education at the age of 6. There are many public & private jardin d’enfants (kindergarten) schools for children under 6 but those are mainly for the upper economic classes that can afford to start their education early. Most children start their schooling at the E.P.P. level (école primaire publique) or basically elementary school; the second “p” could also be private, catholic, muslim, etc. The elementary school level consists of 6 levels: CP1 (cours préparatoire), CP2, CE1 (cours élementaire), CE2, CM1 (cours moyen), and CM2. After finishing CM2, students take the CEPD exam and have to pass in order to move onto the “middle school”.
Middle school or the C.E.G. consists of 4 years of schooling: 6eme, 5eme, 4eme and 3eme. I’m not sure why but starting in middle school, the grades move backwards (6eme à 5eme à etc.). During elementary school, your classes are pretty much fixed; however during middle school you get a little leeway and are allowed to pick and choose certain classes based on what direction you want your education to take. After finishing 3eme, all students must pass the BEPC exam to move onto “high school”. If you don’t pass the BEPC, you can take it again (but you have to pay for it again) and many students take it several times explaining why there can be an age gap greater than 1 between the youngest and oldest student in the 3eme level.
High school, or lycée, consists of 3 years of school: 2eme, 1er and Terminale. If a student is likely to stop their education, it usually takes place either after C.E.G. or during one of the years at lycée. By this point in their education, the student has typically selected the career path of their (or their parent’s) choice and narrows down his or her education to a few select topics related to that field. The two most popular routes are science (for something in the medical field perhaps) and language (for something in the education field, particularly to become an English teacher). Unlike elementary and middle school, lycée students take 2 exams, the BAC1 after the 1er level and the BAC2 after Terminale level.
As for after high school, university options are limited to the University of Lomé and the University of Kara. We did not learn too much regarding the university system so I can’t tell you much more. However, it’s much cheaper than college in the US (then again, most colleges outside the US are lol). Lycée students seem to be obsessed with going to school abroad (which probably speaks to the quality of education one can receive at the university level in Togo). A few try to study in Europe and many try to study in the US; however due to the difficulty in getting a US visa in Togo, very few but the very wealthy can afford that. Interesting fact though is that President Faure actually received his undergraduate degree from George Washington University (hmm Shilpa, I wonder if your Togolese roommate knew him then? lol…).
Unlike the US, schooling is not mandatory and is not free. Well let me rephrase that: just recently the Togolese Ministry of Education decreed that schooling at the elementary school level (E.P.P, etc.) should be free in an attempt to abide by the UN Millennium Development Goals. Therefore schooling from the C.E.G. level and upwards is not free and definitely not mandatory. Yet, the whole situation of paying for one’s education and not making it mandatory brings up a plethora of questions.
First of all, is free elementary schooling going to do anything to help Togo? By making elementary schools free, but not making them mandatory, children who aren’t going to school will not attend, even if they had the money. From another angle, since 1 in 3 children are unregistered by the government (yes, that is a fairly accurate fact which makes it all the more shocking!) even if elementary school was free and mandatory, the government can’t make someone go to school if they don’t exist to the government. From yet another angle, how does making sure children complete an elementary education, or 6 years of education, do anything for Togo? Is 6 years of education worth anything? Finally, even if elementary schooling is free and mandatory, doesn’t it make sense that more students would not continue at the middle school level when schooling gets harder thereby making the ministry of education decree pretty much inconsequential?
Second of all by charging for schooling above the elementary level, it would seem that economic selection would take place and only those who can afford to school would continue. First of all boys would be more likely to continue over girls (being in a patriarchal society, girls are more likely to drop out of school to take care of her family, work to earn money, etc…hence Togo’s need for the GEE program!). Second of all, even if boys continue their education, that’s no sign that they will complete their studies due to failing the super hard exams (trust me they are hard, I’ve seen a copy and even I don’t understand all the questions and part of the exam is in English). Then again, even if the boys finish high school, that’s no guarantee that they will go to college. And since college is definitely not free and can take anywhere from four (for a general degree) to eleven (for a medical degree), that’s a lot of money to invest in one’s education. If only the upper economic groups can afford that much education, an economic wormhole will appear that would tend to favour the rich continuing their education and continuing to hold the most specialized jobs while the poorer economic groups continue to hold the more general positions such as those working for the government. And there is definitely no such thing as financial aid from the government, especially not for college (however college is considerably cheaper here in Togo than the US).
Education is valued in the US because it is only through education that people have an opportunity to move upwards through the socioeconomic classes. A classic rags-to-riches story, you can be poor, get a good education, find a good job and then enter the middle class. However if being poor in Togo, keeps you poor in Togo due to financial restrictions on your education, then there is no hope for upward mobility. No hope for economic mobility leads to economic stagnation. Hmm, did I just equate all of Togo’s economic problems to its system of education? Umm a speculative maybe?...I’m not saying that the ministry shouldn’t be applauded for the positive steps it is taking to follow the MDGs; it’s more a question of what is the REAL effect the new policy has on improving life in Togo?
(BTW another interesting note, the school calendar was pushed back two weeks due to the flooding issues in the southern part of the country; last year when major flooding occurred in the Savannes region, schools all over the country started 1 month late. Unlike the US, when weather-related issues affect one large area in Togo, all the schools throughout the country are shut down.)
If you have any questions about anything specific to life in Togo, please don’t hesitate to send me a message and I’ll gladly do my best to educate.
- Nikhil
The Togolese school system consists of 13 levels. Children begin their education at the age of 6. There are many public & private jardin d’enfants (kindergarten) schools for children under 6 but those are mainly for the upper economic classes that can afford to start their education early. Most children start their schooling at the E.P.P. level (école primaire publique) or basically elementary school; the second “p” could also be private, catholic, muslim, etc. The elementary school level consists of 6 levels: CP1 (cours préparatoire), CP2, CE1 (cours élementaire), CE2, CM1 (cours moyen), and CM2. After finishing CM2, students take the CEPD exam and have to pass in order to move onto the “middle school”.
Middle school or the C.E.G. consists of 4 years of schooling: 6eme, 5eme, 4eme and 3eme. I’m not sure why but starting in middle school, the grades move backwards (6eme à 5eme à etc.). During elementary school, your classes are pretty much fixed; however during middle school you get a little leeway and are allowed to pick and choose certain classes based on what direction you want your education to take. After finishing 3eme, all students must pass the BEPC exam to move onto “high school”. If you don’t pass the BEPC, you can take it again (but you have to pay for it again) and many students take it several times explaining why there can be an age gap greater than 1 between the youngest and oldest student in the 3eme level.
High school, or lycée, consists of 3 years of school: 2eme, 1er and Terminale. If a student is likely to stop their education, it usually takes place either after C.E.G. or during one of the years at lycée. By this point in their education, the student has typically selected the career path of their (or their parent’s) choice and narrows down his or her education to a few select topics related to that field. The two most popular routes are science (for something in the medical field perhaps) and language (for something in the education field, particularly to become an English teacher). Unlike elementary and middle school, lycée students take 2 exams, the BAC1 after the 1er level and the BAC2 after Terminale level.
As for after high school, university options are limited to the University of Lomé and the University of Kara. We did not learn too much regarding the university system so I can’t tell you much more. However, it’s much cheaper than college in the US (then again, most colleges outside the US are lol). Lycée students seem to be obsessed with going to school abroad (which probably speaks to the quality of education one can receive at the university level in Togo). A few try to study in Europe and many try to study in the US; however due to the difficulty in getting a US visa in Togo, very few but the very wealthy can afford that. Interesting fact though is that President Faure actually received his undergraduate degree from George Washington University (hmm Shilpa, I wonder if your Togolese roommate knew him then? lol…).
Unlike the US, schooling is not mandatory and is not free. Well let me rephrase that: just recently the Togolese Ministry of Education decreed that schooling at the elementary school level (E.P.P, etc.) should be free in an attempt to abide by the UN Millennium Development Goals. Therefore schooling from the C.E.G. level and upwards is not free and definitely not mandatory. Yet, the whole situation of paying for one’s education and not making it mandatory brings up a plethora of questions.
First of all, is free elementary schooling going to do anything to help Togo? By making elementary schools free, but not making them mandatory, children who aren’t going to school will not attend, even if they had the money. From another angle, since 1 in 3 children are unregistered by the government (yes, that is a fairly accurate fact which makes it all the more shocking!) even if elementary school was free and mandatory, the government can’t make someone go to school if they don’t exist to the government. From yet another angle, how does making sure children complete an elementary education, or 6 years of education, do anything for Togo? Is 6 years of education worth anything? Finally, even if elementary schooling is free and mandatory, doesn’t it make sense that more students would not continue at the middle school level when schooling gets harder thereby making the ministry of education decree pretty much inconsequential?
Second of all by charging for schooling above the elementary level, it would seem that economic selection would take place and only those who can afford to school would continue. First of all boys would be more likely to continue over girls (being in a patriarchal society, girls are more likely to drop out of school to take care of her family, work to earn money, etc…hence Togo’s need for the GEE program!). Second of all, even if boys continue their education, that’s no sign that they will complete their studies due to failing the super hard exams (trust me they are hard, I’ve seen a copy and even I don’t understand all the questions and part of the exam is in English). Then again, even if the boys finish high school, that’s no guarantee that they will go to college. And since college is definitely not free and can take anywhere from four (for a general degree) to eleven (for a medical degree), that’s a lot of money to invest in one’s education. If only the upper economic groups can afford that much education, an economic wormhole will appear that would tend to favour the rich continuing their education and continuing to hold the most specialized jobs while the poorer economic groups continue to hold the more general positions such as those working for the government. And there is definitely no such thing as financial aid from the government, especially not for college (however college is considerably cheaper here in Togo than the US).
Education is valued in the US because it is only through education that people have an opportunity to move upwards through the socioeconomic classes. A classic rags-to-riches story, you can be poor, get a good education, find a good job and then enter the middle class. However if being poor in Togo, keeps you poor in Togo due to financial restrictions on your education, then there is no hope for upward mobility. No hope for economic mobility leads to economic stagnation. Hmm, did I just equate all of Togo’s economic problems to its system of education? Umm a speculative maybe?...I’m not saying that the ministry shouldn’t be applauded for the positive steps it is taking to follow the MDGs; it’s more a question of what is the REAL effect the new policy has on improving life in Togo?
(BTW another interesting note, the school calendar was pushed back two weeks due to the flooding issues in the southern part of the country; last year when major flooding occurred in the Savannes region, schools all over the country started 1 month late. Unlike the US, when weather-related issues affect one large area in Togo, all the schools throughout the country are shut down.)
If you have any questions about anything specific to life in Togo, please don’t hesitate to send me a message and I’ll gladly do my best to educate.
- Nikhil
