The schools in Togo
The school system
Primary school: at 6 years
•
1. 2nd year CP1,CP2
•
3. 4th year CE1, CE2
•
5. 6th year CM1, CM2
Graduation: CEPD
The Collège: (lower secondary) Duration 4 years
•
Sixième
•
Cinqième
•
Quatrième
•
troisième (final year)
Graduation: BEPC ( middle school leaving certificate)
The Lycée (upper secondary school) Duration 3 years
•
Seconde
•
Première
•
Terminale
Graduation: Baccalauréat (the baccalaureate)
University
Course of a school year
Divided into trimesters.
The
grading
system
ranges
from
0
to
20
points
and
10
points
must
be
achieved.
School facilities
•
School building
•
School catering
•
Teaching time
•
Teaching system
•
Teaching resources
School in Togo
Schools often have holes in the walls that don't let in much heat.
Sometimes even the benches are missing.
In
Togo,
children
start
school
at
the
age
of
six.
Attendance
at
primary
school
in
Togo
has
only
been
free
of
charge
since
2008.
Since
then,
the
number
of
children
who
actually
go
to
school
has
increased.
For
example,
nine-year-old
Komla
worked
in
his
parents'
fields
instead
of
going
to
school,
and
twelve-year-old
Céline
herded
cattle.
Now
they
attend school and learn reading, writing and arithmetic.
Not all go to school
But
7
per
cent
of
boys
and
13
per
cent
of
girls
are
not
even
enrolled
in
school
today.
Their
family
may
not
be
able
to
pay
for
the
exercise
books
or
want
the
child
to
help
with
the
harvest.
They
also
have
to
buy
the
school
uniform.
It
is
not
prosecuted
by
the
authorities
if
a
child
does not go to school.
Six years of compulsory schooling
Compulsory
schooling,
i.e.
how
long
the
law
stipulates
that
one
must
go
to
school,
is
also
only
six
years.
This
corresponds
to
primary
school.
Compulsory
schooling
ends
after
the
sixth
grade.
Accordingly,
only
52
percent of boys and only 41 percent of girls go on to secondary school.
Those
who
do
go
on
to
school,
however,
have
four
years
of
secondary
school
ahead
of
them
after
primary
school.
They
graduate
after
the
10th
grade.
Only
a
few
pupils
go
on
to
grammar
school
(lycée).
After
three
years,
you
can
take
the
Abitur.
The
entire
school
system
is
based
on the French school system.
At
the
end
of
each
grade
there
is
a
test.
If
you
don't
pass,
you
have
to
repeat
the
class.
You
can
do
this
as
often
as
you
like.
If
pupils
do
not
listen
to
the
teacher,
it
is
quite
common
for
them
to
be
beaten
with
a
stick.
Lack of schools in the countryside
There
are
more
and
better
schools
in
the
city
than
in
the
countryside.
In
the
countryside,
children
are
more
likely
to
be
forced
to
work
and
so
they
do
not
attend
school.
Or
there
is
no
school
at
all
near
their
home.
Often
there
are
not
enough
teachers.
Classes
are
very
large.
70
or
80
pupils
in
a
class
are
normal!
There
are
hardly
any
schoolbooks.
The
equipment in the individual schools varies greatly.
Schools without windows
And
what
does
such
a
school
look
like?
Sometimes
schools
in
the
villages
are
simply
open
huts,
i.e.
a
few
tree
poles
with
a
roof
on
top.
But
if
the
school
is
a
permanent
building,
there
are
no
glass
panes
in
the
windows!
You
don't
need
them
because
it
is
never
so
cold
that
you
have
to
close
them.
The
buildings
therefore
only
have
holes
in
some
places
to
let
in
air
and
light.
You
can
see
this
in
the
middle
picture
on
the
left.
In
the
classrooms
there
are
school
desks
and
a
blackboard
on
the
wall.
The
schoolyards
are
not
paved
and
there
is
no
playground
equipment.
What grows in Togo?
Togo
is
narrow,
but
just
as
long
as
the
Ivory
Coast
or
Ghana.
Thus,
very
different
landscapes
extend
over
this
length.
Mangroves
and
coconut
palms
grow
along
the
coast
in
the
south.
In
the
savannah
in
the
north,
grasses
and
scattered
shrubs
and
trees
grow.
These
include
the
baobab
tree.
Trees
also
grow
on
the
slopes
of
the
Togo
Mountains.
Where
there
is
still
rainforest,
there
are
precious
woods
such
as
mahogany or teak.
Food in Togo
Yams
are
the
most
important
staple
food
in
Togo.
In
the
north,
where
it
is
drier,
millet
and
maize
are
the
main
crops.
The
most
important
Togolese
dishes
are
pâté
for
everyday
and
fufu
for
Sundays!
PâtéPâté
is
made
from
maize,
or
more
precisely,
maize
flour.
This
is
stirred
into
hot
water
to
make
a
porridge.
It
is
accompanied
by
a
spicy
sauce.
The
maize
porridge
is
often
eaten
in
the
morning,
if
one
eats
breakfast
at
all. The most important meals are at noon and in the evening.
Fufu
The
national
dish
of
Togo
is
fufu.
It
is
often
eaten
on
Sundays
or
at
festivals.
Fufu
is
made
from
yams.
It
is
also
popular
in
Ghana.
Here
you
can
find
a
video
of
fufu
being
pounded.
The
pounding
takes
quite
a
while
and
is
quite
exhausting!
That's
probably
why
mashing
fufu
is
the
only
household
activity
where
you
see
a
man
sometimes...
Fufu
is
also
eaten
with
a
spicy
sauce,
which
can
be
made
from
tomatoes,
palm
oil
or
peanut
butter.
It
may
be
accompanied
by
goat
or
chicken
meat.
Meat
is
expensive,
though,
so
it's
rare.
Bananas
and
beans,
cassava,
rice
and
noodles.
People
also
like
to
eat
plantains
and
beans.
The
beans
are
accompanied
by
gari,
which
are
rasps
of
roasted
manioc,
or
rice.
And
finally,
there
is
also
noodles.
This
is
almost
always
spaghetti,
which
is
then
eaten
with
a
sauce
or
as
a
noodle
salad.
Rice
and
noodles
are
sometimes
eaten
together
-
which
is
probably
rather
unusual
for
us.
Vegetables
include
aubergines,
tomatoes
and
corn
on
the
cob.
With
the
right
hand!
In
Togo,
you
traditionally
eat
with
your
right
hand
and
from
a
big
pot.
Sometimes,
however,
everyone
gets
their
own
small
bowl.
Before
and
after
eating,
the
hand
is
washed
in
a
bowl
of
water,
which
is
also
provided.
To
eat,
the
Togolese
actually
only
need
two
or
three
fingers,
with
which
they
pick
up
the
fufu,
for
example.
You
form
a
ball with a hole, which you then use to pick up the sauce.
You can find recipes here
www.cuisine228.com
Easter in Togo
Holy
Week
begins
on
Palm
Sunday.
Three
times
during
Holy
Week
there
are
services
and
prayers,
on
Thursday
(Maundy
Thursday)
there
are
services
in
the
evening
in
all
parishes
where
the
feet
are
washed.
On
Good
Friday
from
12.
On
Good
Friday
from
12
noon
onwards,
there
are
various
Stations
of
the
Cross
(with
12
stations
over
a
distance
of
approx.
10
km)
which
end
with
a
church
service
in
the
parishes.
On
Holy
Saturday
there
are
confessions
(for
the
Catholic
Church)
and
on
Easter
Sunday
there
is
a
resurrection
service
from
4.00
a.m.
and
an
Easter meal at noon (at the same time as breaking the fast).
But
this
time
everything
is
cancelled
because
of
curfew.
Everyone
should experience it for themselves at home.
Here you will find information about the
country and the people of Togo.
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