GCSE
For families relocating to Africa with children, a good education is crucial. This means a quality international education with the breadth and scope that will allow their children to easily transfer to schools on a different country or continent and to apply for admission to competitive universities. I would like to reassure all the parents relocating to Africa and who are still leery of the quality of these schools, that these international schools are generally very good. In some instances, however, parents would have to be more involved in their children’s education to complement whatever the schools may not offer. We had a good experience with just such schools in Benin and Burkina Faso and both our children returned to the US in elementary and middle school and went on to attend Ivy League schools.
To assist families relocating to Africa with the educational needs of their children, I have assessed and organized the international schools in Africa in 4 groups as described below- with the understanding that political instability as recently seen in Northern Africa or Ivory Coast can affect the placement of a country within the various groups. Additional information on each school as well as support and strategies for relocating to Africa can be found by visiting Relocating to Africa: International School Options for Families Relocating to Africa
For families relocating to Africa with children, a good education is crucial. This means a quality international education with the breadth and scope that will allow their children to easily transfer to schools on a different country or continent and to apply for admission to competitive universities. I would like to reassure all the parents relocating to Africa and who are still leery of the quality of these schools, that these international schools are generally very good. In some instances, however, parents would have to be more involved in their children’s education to complement whatever the schools may not offer. We had a good experience with just such schools in Benin and Burkina Faso and both our children returned to the US in elementary and middle school and went on to attend Ivy League schools.
To assist families relocating to Africa with the educational needs of their children, I have assessed and organized the international schools in Africa in 4 groups as described below- with the understanding that political instability as recently seen in Northern Africa or Ivory Coast can affect the placement of a country within the various groups.
Group A countries: Botswana, Egypt, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria and South Africa. Group A comprises the best schools on the continent. The schools in this group have the breadth, scope and quality of instruction that is expected of the best international schools anywhere else. They offer an International curriculum leading to the IB Diploma, the French Baccalaureate or the UK GCSE- all of which properly equip graduating students to be competitive for admission to the best universities in the world. Most importantly, the education programs offered in these schools are highly transferable making the schools in this group the ideal or best choice for internationally mobile families who want their children to seamlessly transfer from schools to schools overseas and back home. It is however, important to note that these schools are only able to accommodate mild learning disabilities.
In general, the schools in this category have state of the art performance centers, chemistry and computer labs along with wireless hotspots for easy access to the internet. Classrooms are equipped with the latest technologies and the libraries are well stocked and provide ample study space. All have good sport complexes (soccer field and basketball courts- swimming pools) or arrange for swimming activities with a nearby hotels or clubs); they have international extra-curricular exchanges with neighboring countries and the cafeteria offer nutritional meal plans with options to opt out). Many offer transportation and after hour care – for additional fees. Finally, security is very good in these schools.
Group B countries: Ethiopia, Ghana, Tanzania, Tunisia, Mauritius, Mozambique, Zambia and Uganda. Group B countries have schools which I consider to be the second best option. In a strict sense, these schools offer the same quality education as the schools in Group A. However, they generally tend to be slightly limited in the scope and diversity of instructional offerings and in the overall quality of the facilities and learning technologies. For examples, the chemistry labs may not offer the same range of opportunities for chemistry tests and exercises; the schools might not have a full sport complex nor engage in international exchanges. Nevertheless, the quality of the education is excellent and children attending these schools will not face knowledge or skill gaps upon transferring to a different international school in Africa or elsewhere. However, transferring or relocating families must watch for faster pace, increased peer competition and issues of adjustment if transferring to larger schools as schools in Group B tend to have smaller enrolment and class size.
Group C countries: Algeria, Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, ivory Coast, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Namibia, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Swaziland, Togo and Zimbabwe. Group C is made up of schools with relative limitation in scope and breadth. While the lower classes in this group generally offer high quality instruction, the upper level classes tend to be smaller – and in many instances, use mix levels and age groups. One clear advantage is that classes are smaller and kids get enough personal attention. However, Teenagers can often feel isolated, lonely and even bored. The only exception are the French schools, particularly in former French colonies- since they have large enrolment and are well integrated into the local community. I would not recommend these schools to families with teenagers. Because they are very small and a fixture of the community, parents of children in these schools must also be prepared to be involved in or affected by the politics of the schools.
Group D countries: Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Guinea, Mauritania, Somalia, and Sudan. Group D comprises schools which are primarily located in warring, instable countries or non family posts. In many respects, instruction in this group is poor and management of the schools is not immune to the overall instability and quality of life of the countries in which they are located. The schools in this group do not always have the best teachers or administrators and this reflects poorly on the quality of the instruction. The schools tend to be small, have a rigid governance dominated by the largest contributors (typically the US Embassy or to a less extend a large multinational) which yields a lot of power on the administrative and instructional decisions.
The schools in this group typically have no cafeteria, no chemistry labs and make limited use of computers or blackboards for instructional purposes. Libraries are rarely a in a stand-alone complex and have limited space and a very few volumes.
While these schools might be alright for small children, middle and high school level children would be better served not attending them. Anyone relocating family with middle school or high school age children who is relocating to these countries should consider sending them to boarding schools in Group A or B countries.
Additional information on each school as well as support and strategies for relocating to Africa can be found by visiting
GCSE
Source by Geremie Sawadogo
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