Schools

The ivorian Education curriculum is very similar to the French one.

Here is a quick overview of the system:

• Enseignement Préscolaire : pre-schools, from 2 or 3 to 5 years old. 
• Enseignement Primaire : primary education, from 6 years oldand it should last 6 years.The primary education diploma is Certificat d’Etudes Primaires et Elementaires (CEPE)
• Enseignement secondaire:  secondary education is divided into two cycles: The first cycle of school lasts 4 years, a diploma is then awarded at the end of the this cycle which is the Brevet d’Etudes du Premier cycle (BEPC).The second cycle lasts 3 years.  At the end of the three years the students have to sit for the Baccalaureat ( BAC ) upon successful completion, a diploma is awarded and this is what gives access to higher education.

All local schools teach English as the first foreign language. As a requirement, an Ivorian student who obtains the baccalaureate should have had 7 years of English. In addition, English is taught in all faculties at all the Universities.

Currently, there are about 4 International English schools in Abidjan. However, a few French schools are experimenting teaching in both French and English mainly at the primary school level.