Teaching function and reform of education in Benin: between professionalization and de-professionalization

Teaching function and reform of education in Benin: between professionalization and de-professionalization

• Christian Adekou, Université d’Abomey Calavi, Bénin

• Abdel Rahamane Baba-Moussa, Université d’Abomey Calavi, Bénin

doi : 10.18162/fp.2019.442

Résumé

The teaching function in Benin brings debate between «professionalization» and «de-professionalization» because of the measures of school free access, taken in 2006 outside the forecasts of the Ten-year Plan to develop the education sector, and which led to the use of «community» teachers not qualified to face the growing staff. The present article questions both the role of the initial and continuous training on one hand and the use of the community teachers on the other hand, on the professionalization of the teachers and the quality of the education (teaching). The qualitative survey realized with 53 trainees in the teachers’ training colleges for Primary school teachers shows that beyond the use of the not qualified teachers, there is more generally a problem relating to the quality of the teacher training with a tension between measures supporting the professionalization and the effects being rather like de-professionalization. So the initial training seems to bring almost no capital gain and the data available about the school results shows that the community presence of the teachers is not correlated to a sub-standard education. The paper provides a set of information that could help taking into account the teaching aspect in the reform of the education.

Abstract

The teaching function in Benin brings debate between «professionalization» and «de-professionalization» because of the measures of school free access, taken in 2006 outside the forecasts of the Ten-year Plan to develop the education sector, and which led to the use of «community» teachers not qualified to face the growing staff. The present article questions both the role of the initial and continuous training on one hand and the use of the community teachers on the other hand, on the professionalization of the teachers and the quality of the education (teaching). The qualitative survey realized with 53 trainees in the teachers’ training colleges for Primary school teachers shows that beyond the use of the not qualified teachers, there is more generally a problem relating to the quality of the teacher training with a tension between measures supporting the professionalization and the effects being rather like de-professionalization. So the initial training seems to bring almost no capital gain and the data available about the school results shows that the community presence of the teachers is not correlated to a sub-standard education. The paper provides a set of information that could help taking into account the teaching aspect in the reform of the education.