Training
Investments in education in the 2000s have
resulted in a rapid increase in the proportion of
literate and literate professionals in Gabon. But even
though the education sector has been prioritized, there
is generally a shortage of teachers and school supplies,
especially in rural areas. At the same time, the move
into cities makes the schools there often crowded.
The school system is built according to the French
model. Teaching takes place in French and nowadays girls
go to school to almost the same extent as boys.
In principle, compulsory schooling is between the
ages of 6 and 16 and the tuition is free of charge in
the state schools. After the six-year compulsory school
follows a four-year post-secondary phase and then a
three-year first.
- Allcitypopulation:
Offers a list of biggest cities in the state of Gabon, including the capital
city which hosts major colleges and universities.
-
COUNTRYAAH:
Country facts of Gabon, including geography profile, population statistics, and business data.
In addition to the state-funded schools, there are
schools run by missionaries as well as other private
institutions. (President Ali Ben Bongo, himself educated
in France, however, has sent one of his sons to the
British elite school Eton).
Four out of five children start primary school.
However, many of them jump off gradually and a lot of
them also go for some class. Not even half of all
students go on to the post-secondary stage.
Poor working conditions for teachers, who sometimes
have not received their salaries and therefore strike,
have led to many interruptions in teaching and affected
its quality. In the spring of 2015, the entire school
system was paralyzed by an extensive teacher strike.
In the capital Libreville is Omar Bongo University.
There are also colleges for administration and law and a
couple of research institutes; Masuku/ Franceville has a
technical college. In connection with the 55th
anniversary of independence in August 2015, President
Bongo also said he would like to donate one of the
family's buildings in Libreville to a new university
(see Calendar). Many Gabonese receive university
education abroad, mainly in France.
FACTS - EDUCATION
Proportion of children starting primary
school
91.3 percent (1997)
Number of pupils per teacher in primary
school
25 (2011)
Reading and writing skills
82.3 percent (2012)
Public expenditure on education as a
percentage of GDP
11.2 percent (2014)
Public expenditure on education as a
percentage of the state budget
11.2 percent (2014)
2011
December
PDG is clearly the biggest in the election
President Bongo's ruling PDG wins, as expected, the parliamentary elections
with 114 of the 120 seats.
The opposition boycott the election
Ahead of the parliamentary elections, which will be held on December 17,
2011, the opposition requires voters to be registered with so-called biometric
methods, that is, reading personal characteristics such as voice, face shape and
fingerprints. The claim is rejected, which causes 13 parties to boycott the
election.
May
Obame risks prosecution
The banned opposition party NU leader André Mba Obame, who at the beginning
of the year proclaimed himself president (see January 2011), is
deprived of his parliamentary immunity. He risks being charged with treason.
February
Chinese loan should secure electricity supply
Gabon borrows $ 123 million from China to modernize and expand the
electricity grid in the capital, Libreville. The outdated and insufficient
electricity grid results in constant power cuts, which impede the entire
country's development.
Negotiations on islands resume
Gabon and Equatorial Guinea resume UN negotiations on which country has the
supremacy of some islands in the oil-rich off-shore waters.
January
Obame proclaims himself president
Possibly inspired by the events in Ivory Coast and in North Africa ("Arab
Spring"), Mba Obame proclaims Gabon's rightful president. However, he receives
no major support either from within Gabon or from the outside world and for one
month takes refuge at the UN headquarters in Libreville. The government responds
by banning his party, the UN.
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