In Burkina Faso the threshold of one million children being deprived of access to education due to the security situation in the country has been crossed according to the non-governmental organization (NGO) Save The Children. The NGO wrote in a statement that currently over 5700 schools are closed, affecting 1,008,327 students.
The statement by Save The Children Burkina Faso cites the latest report from the Technical Secretariat for Education in Emergencies (ST-ESU), a government body established by the Ministry of National Education, Literacy and Promotion of National Languages in April
Africa News, ‘Burkina Faso: A Million Students Deprived of School Because of the Jihadists’ Africa News (24 November 2022) <www.africanews.com/2022/11/24/burkina-faso-a-million-students-deprived-of-school-because-of-the-jihadists/> accessed 9 December 2022.
Ibid.
- 2019. The body is responsible for the coordination and implementation of the country’s strategy for education in emergency situations. The report by the ST-ESU states that as of 31 October, 2022, 5709 schools are closed across the country, an increase of 1451 compared to the statistics of May 2022. The closure of schools due to the security situation has thus resulted in over one million students being unable to receive education.
Burkina Faso has been plagued by insecurity and violence for several years. The conflict is caused by the presence of various Islamist armed groups linked to al-Qaeda and ISIS, who fight to conquer territories and create political instability. According to UNICEF’s Humanitarian Situation Report of October 2022, 4,9 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance due to the conflict, and over 1,7 million people are internally displaced. The political situation in the country was further unstabilized by coups d’état that took place in January and September 2022. Reportedly, another attempt at a coup d’état was made, without success, in November 2022.
In response to the worsening situation regarding access to education amidst the deteriorating security situation, the Government of Burkina Faso has communicated its plan to improve
Secretariat Technique de l’Education en Situation d’Urgence (ST-ESU), ‘Présentation du Secrétariat Technique de l’Education en Situation d’Urgence’ <http://st-esu-burkina.com/Pr%C3%A9sentation-du-ST-ESU/> accessed 9 December 2022.
Ibid.
Secretariat Technique de l’Education en Situation d’Urgence, ‘Rapport Statistique Mensuel de Données de l’Education en Situation d’Urgence du 31 Octobre 2022’ (Ouagadougou, 4 November 2022) <https://lefaso.net/IMG/pdf/rapport_statistique_mensuel_de_donne_es_esu_54447_.pdf> accessed 9 December 2022.
Secretariat Technique de l’Education en Situation d’Urgence, ‘Rapport Statistique Mensuel de Données de l’Education en Situation d’Urgence du 31 Mai 2022’ (Ouagadougou, 3 June 2022) <http://st-esu-burkina.com/gallery/Rapport_ESU_Mai_2022.pdf> accessed 9 December 2022.
Secretariat Technique de l’Education en Situation d’Urgence, ‘Rapport Statistique Mensuel de Données de l’Education en Situation d’Urgence du 31 Octobre 2022’ (n 5).
Mucahid Durmaz, ‘How Burkina Faso Became the Epicentre of Conflict in the Sahel’ Aljazeera (11 March 2022) <www.aljazeera.com/features/2022/3/11/how-burkina-faso-became-the-new-epicentre-of-sahelian> accessed 9 December 2022.
Ibid; Acaps, ‘Burkina Faso’ <www.acaps.org/country/burkina-faso/crisis/conflict> accessed 9 December 2022.
UNICEF, ‘Burkina Faso Humanitarian Situation Report No. 5’ (28 October 2022) <https://reliefweb.int/report/burkina-faso/unicef-burkina-faso-humanitarian-situation-report-no-5-1-30-september-2022> accessed 10 December 2022.
Aljazeera, ‘Burkina Faso’s Coup and Political Situation: All You Need to Know’ Aljazeera (5 October 2022) <www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/10/5/coup-in-burkina-faso-what-you-need-to-know> accessed 9 December 2022.
James Tasamba, ‘Burkina Faso’s Transition Leader Confirms Coup Attempt: Media’ Anadolu Agency (Kigali, 2 December 2022) <www.aa.com.tr/en/africa/burkina-faso-s-transition-leader-confirms-coup-attempt-media/2753599> accessed 9 December 2022.
children’s chances of receiving education. The strategy includes the implementation of pedagogical innovations, and distance learning via television and radio through which the strategy aims to reach 100,000 internally displaced children and ensure the continuation of their education.
