The CEPE once again in our village's school

The Certificat d'Études Primaires Élémentaires (CEPE*) or the primary school diploma is a very big deal in Madagascar.

8 of our zahana students passed this test successfully in September!

Since the 2019 school year Zahana has a new head teacher plus three new teachers.

The nation wide shutdown of all schools made an exception for students studying for national exams.  Our new head teacher offered his students a specialized CEPE prep curriculum. 15 students took him up on the offer. 12 registered and 11 took the test.

To take the actual CEPE exam, all students walked with their parents to the nearest town to a school that offered the national standardized test. Most of them left their village for first time In their lives for three days and passed the test in a new and unfamiliar place.

For them the CEPE was a three day event: One day to walk to town, one day to take the test and one day to walk back home. Thanks to the generosity of the head teacher’s family, all of them had a place to spend the two nights in town.

*CEPE: The nationwide test this year was on September 1, 2020. This national standard test can be taken after five years of schooling and is a requirements to pursue secondary education. For the vast majority of people in Madagascar, this is the only diploma they might ever get. The CEPE is a written exam, administered face-to-face and delivered through paper-pencil tests. More on our CEPE website.

Studying for the CEPE with COVID-19 precautions