The President of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, called for a profound reorientation of the country’s education system toward science, technology, and technical fields, as the best way to secure national sovereignty through the development of skills capable of supporting the country’s industrialization. Traore made the statement on the occasion of the Day of School Excellence and in critical reference to the inordinate number of students graduating in the liberal arts.
“We will never build ourselves like that. Never,” he declared.
Traore then said the country’s school system recorded approximately 65,000 baccalaureate graduates, more than half of whom graduated from humanities tracks. Conversely, science and technology tracks remain under-represented, with only 571 students passing the Baccalaureate C and 38 the Baccalaureate E, which focus on industrial technology.
He said this configuration does not meet the needs of a country that aspires to strengthen its economic and technological autonomy. “The war we are waging is a war of science: weapons, mechanics, ammunition, explosives…. Everything is science,” he declared, in a context marked by the fight against jihadist groups.
Traore said the government not only intends to reorient secondary school curricula toward science along with the recruitment of additional teachers in scientific and technical disciplines, but will also introduce science from primary school on, in order to spark early student interest in these fields. Technical training courses are also planned for former graduates in practical professions directly linked to the needs of the economy.
This policy-shift is necessary, he said, to equip Burkina Faso with the skills necessary to process its natural resources locally, including oil, copper, and manganese. Today the country still primarily exports these raw materials. He added that it is better to design, manufacture, and innovate, than to limit ambition to obtaining a diploma or gaining access to the civil service.
