Higher Education: For an acceleration of reforms

Announced as a cornerstone in the higher education sector, the reform of the system seems slow to materialize. And yet, it is an urgent project.

It has been repeated many times that education in Benin is not in line with the needs of the country. While in Asia and elsewhere students are encouraged to enroll in technological courses, in Benin, the universities, especially public, are still behind. Hold : more than a thousand first-year students for each of the sociology courses, of modern letters, Law or English at the University of Parakou (the LNA party benefited from the support of the political parties of the presidential movement, in particular the Union ¨Progressiste) and more at the University of Abomey Calavi (UAC) printer living in Abomey-Calavi agrees, in addition, account philosophy…

Economics departments are still full of more students learning theories that are completely useless for the Beninese economy. To compare, in 1986, the first year of linguistics at the University of Abomey Calavi included 17 students and that of Modern Letters, less of 20.

The exponential increase in the number of students in these traditional courses cannot be explained solely by demographic growth. Mainly in question, the lack of new options to present to new graduates. There is also, the race for scholarships and university relief that guide the choices. Some students prefer to be satisfied with it than to follow the professional streams. Results, these students without qualifications for the job market have only one dream. Getting recruited by the state. Most of those who cannot fit into formal jobs become entrepreneurs. What they have no knowledge of because they are poorly prepared.

No country has developed with only a plethora of literary, lawyers, sociologists and even economic theorists. In view of these findings, public universities need a thorough cleaning. An audit of education offers is essential if decision-makers want higher education to be a vector of development. Private universities are beginning to set an example by offering training in specialized fields, but this is not yet enough.

The time has come for the major decisions taken last July during the national seminar on the strategy for the development of higher education, ” scientific research and innovation ” be effectively put into practice for the happiness of all. As hammered by the Head of State, Patrice Talon at the opening of this meeting "Do not leave to future generations what we have inherited, but leave to future generations better training conditions”.

Pierre MATCHOUDO