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Ivory Coast
Index
Figure 8. Public Education System, 1988
Source: Based on information from International Yearbook of
Education, 32, New York, 1980, 112-3.
The education system comprised three stages: primary
school
lasted six years, leading to a certificate of primary
studies;
secondary school lasted seven years, leading to a
certificate or
baccalauréat
(see
fig. 8). University education,
available
only in Abidjan, culminated in a university degree. A
large number
of technical and teacher-training institutions also
provided
postprimary and postsecondary education. There was no
system of
adult education, although many adults attended night
courses or, in
rural areas, received literacy and other instruction via
radio.
Most public schools were tuition free, although
students paid
an entrance fee and bought uniforms. Most supplies were
free, and
some students received government scholarships, usually in
return
for a period of government employment after graduation.
In 1980 approximately 14 percent of primary schools and
29
percent of secondary schools were private. Most of these
were
Catholic, staffed by religious and lay teachers, with
salaries
partially subsidized by government funding. Catholic
schools
operated primarily in the south and east but were also
located
throughout the country. Religious instruction was not
permitted in
government schools. Quranic schools were common in the
north and
were tolerated, but not supported, by the government. Some
students
attended both public and Quranic schools.
The school year was divided into three terms, beginning
in
September and separated by short Christmas and Easter
holidays and
a two-month summer recess. The average week consisted of
approximately thirty hours of classes, Monday through
Saturday
morning. Most instruction encouraged mental discipline
more than
analytical thinking or creativity, by emphasizing rote
memorization
and oral recitation.
Data as of November 1988
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