Benin: ACDPE teachers appeal to Talon over their situation
In Benin, around one hundred teachers who are State Public Law Contractual Agents (ACDPE) under the Ministry of Secondary, Technical and Vocational Education are calling on the authorities.
SUMMARY
They are demanding the regularization of their administrative status, a file that has remained unresolved despite several official steps.
These teachers say they have repeatedly contacted their supervising ministry, the National Education Council (CNE) and the Ministry of Social Affairs, without any solution being provided. Faced with this impasse, they are making a direct appeal to the Head of State, Patrice Talon, as well as to Minister Véronique Tognifodé.
A process initiated, but stalled
According to those concerned, the situation dates back to 2008, when local contractual teachers were reclassified as State Contractual Agents.
Following a reform, the government acknowledged errors in the administrative handling of certain files. In December 2023, the teachers concerned signed a new administrative contract. In February 2025, a training placement order was issued, but the procedure then became stalled at the ministerial office level.
Sources close to the case mention a freeze in processing after the accidental death of Minister Kouaro Yves Chabi in February 2025. The teachers assert that had he survived, their situation would have been regularized long ago.
A question of administrative continuity
For the collective of affected teachers, continuity of public service must apply. They ask the current minister, Véronique Tognifodé, to take charge of the case and continue the efforts initiated by her predecessor.
A correspondence to this effect was sent to the minister in July 2025, requesting the issuance of the CAPES/CAPET to replace the BAPES/BAPET, in line with the new contract and the training order. This measure, they say, would prevent the State from having to fund additional training.
Two possible solutions proposed
The teachers propose two possible outcomes:
– Issuing the CAPES/CAPET as a regularization measure for those who have already completed the initial training;;
– Organizing a professional training session for the few teachers who have not yet followed the required pathway.
If no quick outcome is reached, they fear being excluded once again from the competitive exams for entry to the corps of educational advisers, recently authorized by the Council of Ministers.
In their message, the teachers praise the reforms undertaken by President Patrice Talon in favor of the Beninese education system and implore his arbitration to untangle a situation they consider unfair. They hope that a quick decision will make it possible to “save compromised careers” and restore a climate of trust within the educational administration.
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