| Education System in Gabon |
Education in Gabon is still largely based on the French model, although things are gradually changing. The medium is also still French too, and school is compulsory between ages 6 and 16. Following time spent perhaps at crèche and kindergarten, children aged 6 enroll at primary school for 6 years of basic education. While they may graduate with a certificat d'etudes primaires certificate, it is their concours d'entrée en sixième results that determines the quality of the secondary school they will be routed to thereafter.
There are several different kinds of secondary school in Gabon, of which general and technical institutions are the most common. Others include private and international schools. The state program takes 7 years to complete. After 4 years students write their brevet d'études du premier cycle examination. At the end of the period they graduate with a baccalauréat.
Vocational and on-going adult education is under the control of the ministry of technical education and vocational training. Its primary role is to suggest strategies that re-integrate citizens into the more important sectors of the economy.
There are a variety of tertiary education institutions in Gabon, including national higher schools and institutes. The 2 state universities are the University of Sciences and Technologies of Masuku, and the Omar Bongo University.
The latter which is illustrated here was founded in 1978 and is based in Libreville. Its departments include faculties of administration, engineering, forestry, hydraulics, law, literature, management, science, and teacher training.
