In Madagascar, three days before the start of the baccalaureate exams on July 22, everyone has their own working method. Many are concentrating their final efforts on intensive revision sessions, the traditional ” faradoboka ” In just a few hours, the organizers – collectives of teachers – promise tips and sample subjects. With a fragile education system on the island, these very popular sessions are designed to give students more opportunities. Report from a private high school in Antananarivo.
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With our correspondent in Antananarivo, Pauline Le Troquier
A prayer to open the session and place the 200 participants of the day under good auspices. Among them, Maya, candidate in series A2, a stream with a literary focus. The 16-year-old girl insisted on attending the revisions of science, one of her dreaded subjects. We came to take the final steps to prepare for Monday’s baccalaureate.she explains. During the school year, we sometimes worked too little. This allows us to better understand “.
Behind these intensive revisions, offered at 7,000 ariarys – around 1.50 euros – per subject, expectations are high. The promises too.
For a professor of life and earth sciences, one of the organizers of the day’s faradoboka, if the baccalaureate does not guarantee success at university, nor a job in the long term, it remains for candidates a gateway to the world of work. For the country, it remains a powerful lever for development: ” To advance the social and economic situation in Madagascareducation is the basis. Nelson Mandela said that education is the most formidable weapon to change the world. And, here, during these sessions, we are talking about 7,000 ariarys to be able to pass the exam. It is affordable. »
In 2022, less than one in two candidates had obtained the baccalaureate
In the schoolyard, Narindra waits alone for his classmates who have come to watch the faradoboka. On the contrary, he was unable to burden his parents with this additional expense – which could reach 35,000 ariarys, or around 7 euros: ” They’ve already invested way too much money in my baccalaureate: school supplies, clothes, etc. I’m working on my own and I’m going to succeed, I have no choice. It’s a bit of a struggle at home, so I have to succeed to make my parents proud, move forward and have a better life. »
Not enough to discourage Narindra as passing the baccalaureate remains a challenge for Malagasy students. In 2022, less than one in two candidates had obtained this diploma.
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