Following the announcement of the catastrophic results of the BEPC, the diploma finishing the four first year of secondary school, in July 2021, the Nigerien State was alarmed, and our Nigerien partners from RAEDD immediately observed the local situation in the department of Dogondoutchi and alerted us to the urgency of the remediation of this educational disaster.
Experimentation then extension
The RAEDD thought about supporting teaching in college to improve the success rate of BEPC. From January 2022, 2 secondary schools elected by the director of secondary education (DDES), have been chosen to experiment with a new action consisting of providing students preparing for the exam with textbooks and BEPC annals in Maths and French. These are the colleges of Bagagi and Goubey. This experiment was financed with AECIN’s funds.
The results in 2022, compared to 2021, showed a very clear improvement in results.
| Location | Year | F (Girls) | G (Boys) | T (Total) |
| Bagagi | 2021 | 11% | 22% | 18% |
| 2022 | 32% | 39% | 36% | |
| Goubeye | 2021 | 13% | 11% | 12% |
| 2022 | 20% | 44% | 35% |
In 2022/23, this experience was renewed and extended to the College of Togone and concerned a 3rd discipline which is physics and chemistry. In addition to providing students with textbooks and annals in the three main disciplines, awarding prizes to the laureates of the BEPC to encourage future studies and emulation between students. These prizes are given to the first 3 boys and the first 3 girls of each college. This action will be carried out with the help of the teachers who will be trained and supported by their educational advisers and the delegate for the education of girls in secondary education (SCOFI).
For the 2022/23 school year, this initiative was carried out with the financial support of the City of Rennes. 266 / 5,000
The results of the BEPC 2023 are much more contrasted.
| Place | Year | F (Girls) | G (Boys) | T (Total) |
| Bagagi | 2022 | 32% | 39% | 36% |
| 2023 | 32% | 30% | 30% | |
| Goubeye | 2022 | 20% | 44% | 35% |
| 2023 | 100% | 100% | 100% | |
| Togone | 2022 | 12% | 42% | 24% |
| 2023 | 0% | 17% | 11% |
The results are excellent in Goubeye with 19 students accepted (11 boys and 8 girls). In Bagagi, the death of the college director resulted in the temporary relaxation of the teaching teams for about two months before the appointment of an interim). In Togone, according to the Departmental Director of National Education, the poor result is linked to teachers’ strike movements, following the unions’ slogans. The absence of some teachers did not allow for the necessary monitoring of students up to the BEPC. This is why the DDEN has planned reorganizations at the level of the staff of this establishment for the 2023-2024 school year, and has proposed that Togone not receive a prize in 2023.
On July 14 and 15, prizes were awarded to the 6 winners (3 boys and 3 girls) in the two colleges of Bagagi and Goubey. By the decision of the DDEN (Departmental Director of National Education), Togone College was not honored because the results were well below the targeted objectives. The award ceremony took place in the presence of a large audience, including students, parents, management committees and AME (Association of Educator Mothers), village leaders, as well as the Mayor of Dankassari in Goubey, the DDEN, and representatives of the RAEDD. The top-ranked students received 30,000f each, the second-place students received 25,000f, and the third-place students received 15,000f.
Bad results in 2024
At the start of the 2023 school year, thanks to the renewed financial support from the City of Rennes, 2 new colleges, Bakin Tapki and Doubalma, joined the program.
The 100 third-year students from two new secondary schools were provided with textbooks and exam prep materials in three subjects (Mathematics, French, and Physics-Chemistry) at the start of the second trimester of the 2023-2024 school year. Teacher training on lesson planning, assessment, and the effective use of textbooks and exam prep materials took place in Dogondoutchi for the five schools involved.
Unfortunately, the 2024 BEPC exam results did not meet expectations, with a decline in the pass rate in four out of the five schools supported by the project. The results for girls were particularly disappointing.
| Lieu | Année | F (Filles) | G (Garçons) | T (Total) |
| Bagagi | 2023 | 32 % | 30 % | 30 % |
| 2024 | 16 % | 29 % | 25 % | |
| Goubeye | 2023 | 100 % | 100 % | 100% |
| 2024 | 18 % | 58 % | 39 % | |
| Togone | 2023 | 0 % | 17 % | 11 % |
| 2024 | 8 % | 57 % | 19 % | |
| Doubalma | 2023 | 46% | 78% | 69 % |
| 2024 | 48 % | 48 % | 48% | |
| Bagin Tapki | 2023 | 33 % | 80% | 58 % |
| 2024 | 0 % | 20 % | 13 % |
The poor results were observed in many schools across the department, partly due to higher thresholds for retake eligibility. The general context of instability and insecurity may also have contributed to these outcomes.
The prize-giving missions began on July 8, 2024. In the schools of Goubey and Togone, no third prizes were awarded to girls because only two girls passed the exam. In the Bakin Tapki school, no prizes were awarded to girls as none were admitted.
Due to funding constraints - following Rennes’ decision to cease development funding for Niger from 2024 - this project will not be renewed.