The first round of the general baccalaureate exams begin today, Tuesday, July 2, throughout the country. There are a total of 159,487 candidates spread across 486 examination centers seeking their first university diploma.
The first round of the general baccalaureate exams has begun in Senegal! This Tuesday, July 2, 2024, 159,487 candidates are trying to obtain their first university degree, an increase of 4,378 candidates compared to last year. According to the Baccalaureate Office, the candidates are divided into 499 juries and 486 examination centers. The number of jury presidents is 696 and that of examiners is 10,008. As for the invigilators, they number 16,000. For this 2024 edition, the candidates are also warned. Cell phones are strictly prohibited in the examination centers.
Indeed, last year, the number of candidates for the baccalaureate was 155,109 spread across 495 juries. In total, some 77,284 candidates were accepted into the 2023 General Baccalaureate at the end of the two rounds. Senegal had thus recorded a success rate of 51.54%. Even though it had experienced a slight decrease, compared to that of the year 2022 which was 51.99%, the authorities had shown their satisfaction with the results of the Baccalaureate. According to them, in recent years, there has been an increase in success in the baccalaureate. The slight decrease does not change the general trend of increasing accessibility of the Baccalaureate. For the performance of the Baccalaureate of the year 2023, the region of Matam came out on top, with a success rate of 70.90%, according to the Academy Inspectorate. In Fatick, the success rate is 48%. As for the region of Saint-Louis, it achieved a success rate of 48.93% in the Baccalaureate, all series combined. The Academy of Ziguinchor recorded a success rate of 44.52%, which is lower than in 2022.
Unlike the 2022-2023 school year marked by strong political tensions resulting in school closures and teacher arrests, the 2023-2024 school year continued without collateral damage. While at the beginning of the year, the Senegalese school risked facing a turbulent year due to several factors including the tense political and social situation, the slowness noted in the satisfaction of the points of demands signed by agreement between the teachers’ unions and the State of Senegal but also the tense electoral context With teachers’ protests against the postponement of the presidential election, there was more fear than harm.
MARIAME DJIGO
