Burkina Faso : Reforming K-6 Initial Teacher Education - Case Study 9

Overview & Synopsis

Despite facing teacher shortages, Burkina Faso has recently raised the qualification requirements for becoming an early childhood educator or primary school teacher. As of October 2020, individuals must possess a senior secondary school diploma, which involves 13 years of schooling, to enroll in initial teacher education (ITE) programs aimed at preparing teachers for kindergarten through grade 6 (K–6). This represents a significant policy shift, as the previous requirement since the country’s independence from France in 1960 was a lower secondary diploma, which requires 10 years of schooling. This policy change has led to the development of new curricula for prospective early childhood education (ECE) and primary school teachers, with potential implications for teacher educators and the leaders of the new ITE institutions. The updated ITE program now consists of two academic years: one year dedicated to coursework, followed by an eight-and-a-half-month field placement (stage pratique or practicum) in a primary school setting or an ECE center.