Benin: 2026-2027 School Year: Minister Kouchadé Steps Up Field Tours in Ouémé and Plateau

On September 4, 2026, Benin's Minister of Secondary Education, Adéyèmi Clément Kouchadé, visited the lycée Béhanzin and the lycée de jeunes filles Toffa 1er in Porto-Novo, in the Ouémé department, before heading to the lycée technique de Pobè in Plateau, as part of a national tour to prepare for the 2026-2027 school year. According to a statement from the Government of the Republic of Benin released via Africa Newsroom (APO), teachers and educational officials raised issues regarding the shortage of human resources, classrooms, and libraries, overcrowded classes, the regularization of Aspirants au Métier d'Enseignant (AME), and the improvement of working conditions. In Pobè, stakeholders called for the recruitment of new teachers, enhanced continuing education, and the provision of IT equipment. The minister stated that it is necessary "to build on achievements and explore new approaches to jointly meet the challenges of the educational system," reaffirming the commitment of President Romuald Wadagni's government to improve working conditions in the sub-sector. The tour has already covered Couffo, Mono, Ouémé, and Plateau, and is set to continue in Zou-Collines and the northern region. This approach aims to ensure a smooth start to the school year in a secondary system facing recurring tensions regarding enrollment and infrastructure. For teachers and AME awaiting regularization, these exchanges open a direct channel that could lead to budget allocations before the start of the term. This departmental tour format reflects a commitment to proximity governance, but its effectiveness will depend on the ministry's ability to turn these diagnoses into concrete measures—recruitment, classroom construction—in a context of constrained budget margins for the Beninese state, while several neighboring ECOWAS countries are simultaneously conducting...