The Ministry of Nursery and Primary Education has followed through on its warnings against institutions that close their doors before the deadline set by the school calendar.
As a result, the proprietors of several private schools in Benin were formally warned for closing early.
The ministry’s decision follows an inspection mission carried out from June 10 to 28 last June, which revealed instances of early closure in many private institutions across the country.
According to the official figure, around a hundred proprietors were singled out for acting in violation of Article 2 of the interministerial order of May 13, 2024, which sets the 2024–2025 school-year calendar.
These practices, deemed harmful to the proper functioning of the education system, also contravene Decree No. 2007-279 of June 16, 2007 which, in its Article 11, requires proprietors of private schools to make a formal commitment to comply with official instructions.
The ministry relied on Article 92, paragraph 2, of the same decree to issue these written warnings, a measure provided for in cases of proven breach.
In his correspondence, the minister recalled that any deviation from the national calendar disrupts the continuity of instruction and compromises the regularity of students’ academic progress. He also instructed the departmental directors of nursery and primary education to ensure strict monitoring in order to prevent further violations.