(Togo First) – The Togolese government plans to invest around 150 billion CFA in its education system this year. This figure was set in the finance law for 2022.
The amount is almost the same as in 2021 (154 billion CFA) before being reduced to 137 billion CFA by the rectifying law passed at the end of the year. The bulk of the funds will be divided among the four departments of the Ministry of Education.
Specifically, preschool education, the least funded area of Togo’s education system, will receive a budget of CFA 85 billion this year, along with primary education.
Preschool education is an important issue because it is the area in which we invest the least.
Although education in Togo represents about 25% of the national budget, the share we dedicate to it is too small.
44 billion CFA is earmarked for secondary education and 9 billion CFA for technical and vocational education. For handicrafts, to which a separate ministry is dedicated in the government, 711 million CFA have been allocated.
Thinking about tomorrow’s education
Over the past 15 years, the budget allocated to education in Togo has increased seven fold. Most importantly, the sector has been inundated by a wave of modernization projects over the past 15 months. They aimed to improve access to education, its quality, and the sector’s administration and management.
The projects were launched to support key stakeholders and the population, procure equipment, provide resources for staff, and recruit and train teachers.
The most recent project is the construction of 30,000 classrooms across the country. It is expected to be completed by 2025.
“It’s about thinking about the state of the education system in 2030, 2040 and 2050, bringing some order to teaching and setting the authorities’ ambitions for future generations,” Education Minister Dodzi Kokoroko said last month.
While “improving the education system remains at the center of the policy agenda,” the government plans to focus next on “governance, digitization and pedagogy.”
According to the latest available data, Togo’s enrollment rate currently exceeds 94%, while primary and secondary completion rates are 89% and 51%, respectively.