In Villy, a New School Brings Hope to the Community

For the past three years Boureima Kiemdé has been teaching at Villy Centre Primary School, he has dreamt of seeing one day a lower secondary school built nearby to ensure educational continuity for his students. It’s a dream come true. As he became the headmaster of Villy Centre Primary School a year ago, Mr. Kiemdé proudly came to see firsthand the nearly completed lower secondary school built in his village to celebrate the good it will do to students.

“Before having this building, students who passed the primary school certificate (CEP) would travel 4 to 5 kilometers every day to get to the Villy Departmental High School. This lower secondary school, built in the same courtyard as the primary school, will make things much easier for the children. Tardiness, absences and school dropouts are reduced,” says Mr. Kiemdé, also emphasizing the beauty of the building. “Honestly, it’s a gem that is welcome!” he adds.”

An estimated 350 to 400 students from Villy will continue their education each year at this new school. According to the headmaster, the school's proximity to students’ homes will allow them to “go home for lunch at noon and return to class with complete peace of mind.”

In Burkina Faso, one of the main challenges in accessing post-primary education is the lack of adequate infrastructure. The number of students in secondary schools has nearly doubled in less than 10 years, rising from 613,889 in 2012–2013 to 1,049,792 in 2019–2020, creating a greater demand for school facilities.

In the Centre and Centre-West regions, the construction of five lower secondary (known as general education secondary in Burkina Faso) and three technical and vocational training schools by UNICEF thanks to Japan’s funds through the JICA 2 project, is in line with the government’s vision, focusing on practical skills to contribute to national development.

These eight new school facilities are part of a broader programme of 26 schools built during two phases of the same project across the country. A total 18 schools were completed in 2023 in the Centre and Centre-South regions for a capacity of over 2,000 students, 50% of whom are girls.

UNICEF regularly conducts supervision missions at various sites in Koubri, Koumdayonré, Koudougou, and Villy to ensure quality work.

“We wanted to use quality materials that are accessible in Burkina Faso to make it easier for local companies. We engaged certified firms in the country to ensure the work meets national and international standards,” explained UNICEF construction engineer Gérard Pierre Louis during a site visit in Koudougou.

The eight schools are expected to be fully operational for the 2025–2026 school year, to provide access to post-primary education for 1,720 children, including 50% girls.

The overall objective of the JICA project is to improve access to and quality of general and technical post-primary education in Burkina Faso.

“All these classrooms will accommodate nearly 4,000 children, adolescents and youths, 50% of whom are girls. These children will benefit from general and technical post-primary education. For UNICEF Girls’ education is key, as it accelerates progress toward the Sustainable Development Goals,” said Gisèle Zongo, Education Programme Associate at UNICEF.

This Construction of Lower-Secondary Schools programme is the result of excellent collaboration between the Government of Burkina Faso and the United Nations System through its Interim Development Assistance Plan (UNIDAP), which, under its pillar 2, ensures access to basic social services, including education.

The new Villy Centre school complex composed of two buildings (classrooms and an administrative office), will be equipped with desks and laboratory materials. The new facility is a source of pride for children like Wendemi, 13, and his classmate Odile, 14, who recently passed the CEP exam and came to see the classroom that could be their own next October. The school is built in the same compound where they spent six years of their primary education.

“I’m happy to be able to continue my secondary education at the school built in my village,” said Wendemi enthusiastically. Unlike his older siblings, he will have the privilege of continuing his post-primary education in Villy.

Odile will start secondary school next year. She dreams that one day she will play a key role in helping people access basic social services.

“When I grow up, I want to be a doctor to treat the ill,” she said.

UNICEF thanks Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for its unwavering support for children's education in Burkina Faso.