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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal – Vol.7, No.11

Publication Date: November 25, 2020

DOI:10.14738/assrj.711.9372.

Claude, K. N., & Theodore, G. B. Z. (2020). The Issue Of School Privatisation In Côte D'ivoire. Advances in Social Sciences Research

Journal, 7(11) 401-415.

The Issue Of School Privatisation In Côte D'ivoire

Dr Koutou N’guessan Claude

Teacher/Researcher

Félix Houphouet Boigny University

Dr Goin Bi Zamble Théodore

Teacher/Researcher

Peleforo Gon Coulibaly University

ABSTRACT

The Ivorian state has been involved in the construction of public schools

given their importance for development. Since the 1980s, there has been

a reduction in funding linked to the economic crisis and structural

adjustment programmes. Thus, by a convention the State will concede

the public service of education to the private sector. The results of this

research on the conditions of access to private schools in the Abidjan

district were analysed through a cross-sectional study with descriptive

and analytical aims. This has led to disparities in costs between

municipalities. 40,000 FCFA for minima and 1, 922,000 FCFA for

maxima, a multiplication order of 48. In secondary school, the minimum

is 43,000 FCFA and the maximum is 2, 706,000 FCFA, a multiplication

order of 63. In higher education there are less disparities. In total, there

are many differences in the costs of schooling from one school to

another. While the public-private partnership has encouraged more

children to attend school, it has also created a challenge to access

because of the expensive costs of attending school.

Key Words: Privatisation, problems, education, school

INTRODUCTION

The education sector is an essential link in the development of a nation. It is in this context that

Article 26 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) states that “everyone has the right

to education. Education must be free, at least for basic education. Elementary education is

compulsory. Technical and vocational education must be generalized, access to higher education

must be open to all, on the basis of merit.”

Thus in Ivory Coast it is in Elima, in the south of the country, that will be created the first official

school on August 8, 1887 with for teacher Fritz-Emile Jean d'heure, who came from Algeria. At the

time of its accession to political independence in (1960) Côte d'Ivoire had only 1543 educational

establishments, 939 of which were in the public sector and 604 in the private sector, with a school

enrolment rate of about 10%. This low rate will be seen by Ivorian leaders as a challenge. As a result,

they have made education and training a national priority by devoting to it about 44% of the

national budget each year to enable 100% of the country’s children to attend school.

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Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal (ASSRJ) Vol.7, Issue 11, November-2020

This decision gave a major importance to education, so that ten years later the total number of

schools doubled. Thus, in 1970-71, there were now 2252 schools with 426 for the private sector

and 1826 for the public sector: there is thus a significant decline in the contribution of the private

sector and a prodigious increase in the share of public education. The overall objective of the Ivorian

government was to increase access to basic education and to improve the quality and performance

of education, training and research. The commitment of authorities and development partners to

education and training has achieved remarkable results.

However, from the 1980s onwards, the Ivorian education system as a whole was faced with

difficulties despite the resources made available by the State. These include low gross enrolment

rates, persistent gender and regional inequalities, the lack of basic educational facilities and the lack

of available resources in view of the financing needs of the different levels of education. The demand

for schooling far exceeded the capacity of supply. This has resulted in class overload and a decline

in the quality of teaching at all levels of study.

In the face of the economic crisis in Côte d'Ivoire at the beginning of the years (1990), education,

like all social sectors, underwent reforms that significantly reduced investment. Despite the State’s

commitment to quality education for all and the significant progress made over the past decade, the

educational situation remains very problematic in terms of access, quality and equity. To

compensate for this deficit, the State has set up a partnership public-private provision aimed at

giving everyone the opportunity of access to school. This partnership, defined in the framework of

the Education Act of (1995), stipulates that the State may grant the public education service to

private institutions. Decree No. 97/675 of 3 December 1997 sets out the conditions for this

concession and provides for specific agreements by educational order.

This liberalisation has made it possible to concede part of the public service of national education

to the private sector. It operates subject to compliance with the regulations in force, in particular

the agreements and conventions signed between the State, the operators of the secular and

confessional private sector. The private sector of education thus benefits from a favourable policy

and financial support of the State which is manifested in the form of grants, subsidies and support

for the students affected. This incentive and proactive policy has allowed the creation and increase

of the number of private secular and confessional institutions of the different levels of education

(preschool, primary, secondary and higher) in Côte d'Ivoire, thus increasing the capacity of

reception.

According to the most recent General Population and Habitat Census (GDPR 2014), the Ivorian

population increased from 19,800,000 in 2005 (with an annual growth rate of 3.3%) to 22,671,331

in 2014, for a growth rate of 2.6%. This situation will lead to a considerable increase in demand for

education. Also, in this desire to achieve Goal 4 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which

is quality education, the State will encourage and facilitate the creation of private institutions.

It was counted in 2015, about 3824 private institutions in preschool, general secondary and

technical compared to the year 1960, where the country counted only 604 private

institutions. Secondary education is mainly made up of private schools. These represent 74% of

general secondary schools and 98% of technical secondary schools. Similarly, at the level of higher

education, the private sector accounts for more than 80% of the education system. Although there

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URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.14738/assrj.711.9372 403

Claude, K. N., & Theodore, G. B. Z. (2020). The Issue Of School Privatisation In Côte D'ivoire. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 7(11) 401-415.

has been an improvement in the imbalance between the supply and demand of education,

populations face a variety of tuition fees and benefits from one private school to another, regardless

of the level of education. Should not tuition fees and benefits be more accessible and inexpensive in

the face of the proliferation of private sector institutions? Why is there a disparity in costs for the

same level of education? Is this cost difference correlated with the level of supervision and

education? Has the State’s desire to allow the emergence of the private sector in education and

training not paved the way for the commodification of schools? What are the consequences of this

situation?

The overall objective of this article is to analyze the different conditions of access to private schools

in Côte d’Ivoire in order to better understand the disparities and the costly costs of them. From this

general objective derive the following specific objectives:

• Take stock of private education in Côte d'Ivoire;

• Analyse the factors that have contributed to the development of private education;

• Analyse the costs of private schools in Abidjan;

• Compare the number of teachers and students in public and private schools;

• Assess the level of study of teachers in the various sectors of education.

METHODOLOGY

Design of the study

This is a cross-sectional study that is both quantitative and qualitative. The study was carried out

on the basis of the school information sheets and interviews carried out within the specialised

supervisory structures of private schools, teachers' unions and parents' unions.

Study Site

The site of the preliminary study is essentially the city of Abidjan because this agglomeration

includes almost half of the private schools in Côte d'Ivoire. According to the statistical yearbook of

the Directorate of Supervision of Private Schools (DEEP) of the Ministry of National Education, for

the school year 2016-2017, there were 56% of private primary schools and 41% of private

secondary schools in Abidjan. The study was carried out in all four DRENET of the city of Abidjan,

on two main axes whose distribution is as follows:

• Axis 1: South Abidjan (Port-bouet, Koumasi, Marcory, Treichville and Plateau);

• Axis 2: North Abidjan (Cocody, Adjamé, Abobo, Yopougon and Attécoubé).

Study Population

The targets of the preliminary study are the main actors of the school, especially those whose

professional activity has a link with private school in Côte d'Ivoire. These are the four Ministries

responsible for the dismemberment of private schools: Higher Education, Technical Education,

Undergraduate and Graduate General Education and finally Primary Education. In these Ministries,

interviews were held with the specialised directorates such as the Directorate of Supervision of

Private Institutions (DEEP) and the Directorate of Planning, Evaluation and Statistics (DPES):

• DEEP: This directorate is responsible for supervising private institutions from their

authorization to their operating mode. It is responsible for the accreditation of private

schools. It is also responsible for their management