Building resilient schools to better prepare children in Burkina Faso for the future

Far from her birthplace, her school, and the big tamarind tree under which she used to play hopscotch with her friends from her native village, 12-year-old Jacqueline Sawadogo and her parents found refuge in sector 6 of Kaya.

Enrolled in grade 5 at the Kouim-Kouli B Primary school for catch-up classes, Jacqueline is happy to be able to return to school more than two years after she was forced to drop out following attacks by unidentified armed groups in Dibilou, a peaceful village in the municipality of Pissila located about thirty kilometers from Kaya.

"One day my older brother, who was already living here in sector 6 of Kaya, attended a meeting at Kouim-Kouli B Primary School and he was informed that the school was organizing classes for the displaced students who live in surrounding areas. The next day, without waiting, he took me to school and that's how I was enrolled for classes. I'm glad I can go back to school.”, she says.

In May 2021, unidentified gunmen entered the village market and opened fire on the villagers. “We had to flee immediately to hide with one of the Koglweogo (a self-defense group). During the night, we took the road to Pissila where we arrived around 2 p.m. in the afternoon. From Pissila, we came to Kaya aboard a tricycle,” Jacqueline says.

The deteriorating security crisis in the province of Sanmatenga has forced the closure of all the schools in the Basic Education District (CEB) of Pensa, Namissigma and Dablo and driven tens of thousands of students to host cities like Kaya, Boussouma, Pissila and Mané. However, the schools in these towns were not prepared to cope with an influx of such magnitude, creating a problem of lack of school infrastructure in addition to existing structural challenges.

Thanks to the financial support from the Japanese National Committee for UNICEF, UNICEF Burkina Faso entered a partnership with EDUCO to provide catch-up classes for displaced students. In addition, the children also benefit from school kits and school canteen services provided by WFP. These interventions aim to ensure access to education and strengthen the knowledge of students traumatized by armed attacks to enable them to reintegrate into the education system.

Mahamadi Zouré is the grade 5 teacher at Kouim-Kouli B Primary School in sector 6 of Kaya. He started classes with 39 students on July 18, 2022, the date of the official launch of classes for displaced students in Sanmatenga province. “We have started classes, but enrollment continues. We are reviewing lessons with the students who are already there while waiting to complete the numbers to move on to the lessons themselves,” he says.

Mahamadi, like other teachers was trained on the “School in an Emergency” (ESU) curriculum and immediately got down to work. He also received training on the “Safe School” protocol, which consists of preparing students and teachers to protect themselves in the event of attacks, and also in psychosocial care for children and teaching staff. With the ESU content, he must easily complete the curriculum for school year in four months instead of the standard nine months. The classes which are provided during the school week, for grades 1 to 6, from 7 a.m. cover all disciplines with particular emphasis on French, science, and mathematics. Thus, by October 2022, Jacqueline and her comrades will be ready to reintegrate back in the normal school cycle.

Like many children from Kouim-Kouli B Primary School, 6-year-old Fayçal in grade 1 and from the host community also benefited from school supplies. Composed of a bag, a slate, notebooks and pens, this kit is much appreciated. Every day, he is proud to come to school with his bag slung over his shoulders. “I am happy to receive this school kit. I'm going to work well to move on to CP2 class.” he rejoices.

Moumini Ouédraogo is the Provincial Director of Pre-school, Primary and Non-Formal Education (DPEPPNF) in the Sanmatenga Province. He expressed deep regret about the negative impact of the security crisis the education of children. With the closure of many schools in insecure areas, there are still students who have not integrated the education system due to the lack of classrooms. "The challenge of educational continuity remains with the permanent influx of internally displaced people to safer cities," he said. “But with the commitment and contribution of partners, we hope to reintegrate all displaced students into the education system”, he adds.

Thanks to the financial support from the Japanese National Committee for UNICEF, UNICEF Burkina Faso in partnership with the government and NGOs is implementing a catch-up program in five regions, targeting 15,000 children in 60 schools and 360 teachers.

In Kaya, capital of the province of Sanmatenga, 23 schools have been selected for the implementation of this program which targets more than 5,700 children. Classes started on July 1 and are expected to end by October 2022.