The government, labor unions, and employers met this Tuesday, September 9, for an extraordinary session of the National Commission for Dialogue, Consultation and Collective Bargaining.
The goal of this session is to best prepare for the 2025–2026 school and academic year. The ceremony was opened by the Minister of State in charge of coordinating government action, Abdoulaye Bio Tchané, who also chairs the commission.
At the outset, the minister reminded everyone that education is “the foundation of sustainable development” and “the lever of social transformation,” noting that each new school year is an invitation to strengthen and improve the systems in place.
He praised the performance recorded in last year’s national exams: CEP, BEPC, BAC, while underscoring the challenges ahead: improving teachers’ living conditions, aligning curricula with economic realities, distributing infrastructure more equitably, integrating digital technology, and reducing inequalities, especially for girls and children in disadvantaged areas.
On the unions’ side, the demands matched the stakes. The CSTB, backed by the CSA and COSI-Bénin, specifically called for:
- The integration of all Aspirants to the Teaching Profession (AME) into the status of State civil servants;
- A large-scale hiring of qualified teachers for all levels: primary, secondary, vocational, and university;
- The resumption of training for assistant teachers ;
- The consideration of the four additional years in the reclassification of ACDPE promoted between 2012 and 2014;
- An end to the monthly payment of back-to-school bonuses ;
- The establishment of a promotion and reclassification policy for locally contracted staff in high schools and middle schools.
Tuesday’s meeting aims to lay the groundwork for a smooth school and academic year that delivers good results.