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Middle school in Burkina goes from 7th to 10th grade. At the end of the 10th grade, students have to pass a national exam to get into high school, or lycée. There is no lycée in the village, so making it to high school means you get to move to the city. If a student fails the exam but is close to passing, he or she can repeat the 10th grade and try again the next year. If his or her score is too low, he or she is finished with school for good.
The math and science tests for the BEPC involve some difficult questions - the kinds of topics that students back home learn in high school appear on the test to go to high school. That is the French system - the test is too hard but the students only need 50% to pass. For all grades, 50% is passing, 60% is good, over 75% is rare. Students are never supposed to receive 100% - that apparently would make them think that they were perfect and that they don’t need to work anymore.
Though I don’t teach 10th grade, some motivated students have been coming to my house daily for help with exercises to prepare for the test. Often it seems that they’ve been studying this year but that their basic skills are weak - even when they understand the new concepts and catch on to setting up the problems, when it comes time to calculate they can’t add fractions. There are a hundred reasons for this - from school not being so important among villagers to overcrowded classes and absent teachers.
Last week I helped proctor and grade the “BEPC Blanc,” a practice test for the national exam. I graded math, physics, and chemistry, and it was not pretty. In the end, 4 of the 75 students passed, another 12 earned grades high enough to repeat the year.
One weekend about a month ago, I went in to Ouaga and found my PCV neighbor, Jon from Bala, in a body cast. He had jumped from a high dive at a Ouaga hotel, hit the water wrong, and separated his shoulder. The body cast was the work of Burkinabe doctors and only stayed on a few days, but afterwards the shoulder didn’t heal completely. He went back to Ouaga to have it looked at and the Peace Corps doctors decided he needed treatment in the States. He likely needs an operation followed by months of physical therapy. Peace Corps policy, unfortunately, is that a volunteer sent to the States for medical treatment has 45 days to complete treatment and come back. Jon’s physical therapy, however, requires more than 45 days so PC “medically separated” him, meaning he can’t come back. Jon insists that he’s going to fight the decision and be back for next school year, and I hope he can. But for now, looks like I’m neighborless.
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Aunt Judy
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"GREAT BLOGS"
Hi Rosemary: There's no need to change anything about your blogs. All of it is wonderful. I don't have any specific questions to ask in that you're doing a great job as is.........so keep up the good work. How are the BUGS over there..........mosquitoes, lice, spiders, etc. Do they have any real troublesome ones besides those I mentioned? Not being a bug fan, that would no doubt be my major concern..........the creepy crawlies of the area. Otherwise, I really have no questions........in that your blogs are very interesting and informational just like they are. Take care and keep 'em coming!! Can you believe you're nearing your "PC year" already? Wow, how time does fly when you're having a good time, right? Love, Aunt J