In Burkina Faso, the number of schools closed due to insecurity continues to rise. This is the case for 6,149 establishments across the country as of May 31st, according to the latest monthly statistical report of education in emergencies, from the Burkinabè ministry. 24 additional structures have closed their doors since the previous month. The security situation is causing an unprecedented education crisis.
For several months in Burkina Faso, more than a million students have been out of school and more than 30,000 teachers can no longer work. Three regions are particularly affected: the Boucle du Mouhoun, the Sahel, and the East, where more than 1,000 schools have closed. “Teachers, as well as establishments, have become targets”, according to a teacher who now resides in Ouagadougou.
To combat this school hemorrhage, the Burkinabè Ministry of Education has reopened more than 500 schools, and just under 400 have been relocated, according to figures for May. A step in the right direction, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), but still insufficient. In a press release dated March, the United Nations agency recommends the more systematic use of the doubling of school slots and the acceleration of the reassignment of teachers to new sites in areas of displacement.