Arrêtons de mythifier le baccalauréat
A student who takes his own life after failing the baccalaureate exam. A candidate who collapses during the announcement of the results. These are just two examples among many that clearly demonstrate the excessive emotional burden placed on baccalaureate candidates. The very way the results are made public can lead to the death of a hopeful. This long and anxious wait, this unbearable recitation of the names of those who passed, constitutes interminable minutes that can break even the most fragile hearts.
Why are firefighters and other emergency personnel needed during the announcement of results? The answer to this question alone is enough to realize there's a problem. For onlookers and other curious onlookers, this dramatization is welcome. That's why, in many towns, workers, shopkeepers, and the unemployed flock to the examination centers to revel in the spectacle. But for the candidates and their families, it's a real ordeal, an academic book burning.
One still wonders why the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (please!) never thought to put an end to this ordeal in the digital age, or even long before. Now that the Ministry of Education has shown the way with results available via QR code, one hopes that the Department of Innovation will follow suit next year to ease the burden on applicants.
But in truth, the announcement of the results is merely a peripheral issue: the real debate lies in this mystification of the first university diploma. Just last week, a candidate who passed with honors declared on television that in Senegal, "if you don't have the baccalaureate, you have nothing." It is precisely this conception of the baccalaureate that is problematic. In Senegal, the prevailing discourse, both at school and in the neighborhood, suggests that the baccalaureate is the only path to success.
To such an extent that some families put tremendous pressure on their students. How many times have we heard a mother tell her son he'll never pass his baccalaureate, that he'll be the laughingstock of the neighborhood? Not because she wishes it or actually believes it, but to boost his pride and push him to succeed. But does this rhetoric always have the desired effect? Some girls, more vulnerable in this regard, end up becoming depressed because they make it a matter of life or death.
In truth, when you take the baccalaureate exam, the whole neighborhood is focused on it. You're scrutinized, expected to do your best. And, depending on the judgments made about you, you're either awarded the diploma or told you'll fail before the exams even begin. When a troublemaker passes, it's considered an accident or the work of a witch doctor, regardless of whether he's intelligent or studious. When a student who's well-liked in the neighborhood fails, other factors are cited, without anyone having the slightest idea of his academic level. All of this multiplies the stress for some candidates, risking their failure.
Fewer workers, more high school graduates without skills
The idea here is not to reduce the baccalaureate to a mere piece of paper. On the contrary, a country that wants to develop needs an educated and well-trained youth. And having a baccalaureate is the minimum requirement for having a critical mass of competent young people in key fields to help a country take off. Education therefore remains the most powerful tool for a country's development. It is therefore out of the question to devalue this diploma.
But at the same time, it's important to make students understand that the baccalaureate is neither the beginning nor the end of life or existence. It's just one step among many. To calm all this madness, a girl posted a video on social media reminding everyone that she's a street vendor selling honey, even though she has her baccalaureate. We've seen students become cart drivers, bricklayers, street vendors, or attempt illegal immigration. Some have returned to their villages to farm the land, without having gained any additional skills or knowledge from their studies.
Once again, the aim of this discussion is not to discourage young people from their studies. It seeks to reduce the emotional weight surrounding the baccalaureate. But this will only be possible as long as this diploma remains the epitome of success. To achieve this goal, the Senegalese government must move away from this overvalued general baccalaureate. The country needs alternative pathways. Intelligence should not be measured solely by the ability to recite without understanding.
Today, young people are abandoning workshops for small businesses. It is becoming increasingly difficult to find a carpenter, plumber, or electrician for small jobs (chores) around the house. Meanwhile, we are witnessing a rise in the number of high school graduates without any practical skills (sometimes even without basic skills). Bridging these two spheres would be of great benefit to Senegal. The time has therefore come to value technical education and crafts, and to temper the general baccalaureate. The future of Senegal depends on it.
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