Student movement closes all secondary schools in Soubré
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on AIP
A student movement has led to the closure of all secondary schools in Soubré, Ivory Coast, on the third day of the mobilisation. Students are protesting overcrowded classrooms, with nearly 130 pupils in some second-year classes, according to testimonies gathered by AIP.
The secondary school student movement in Soubré has led to the closure of all public and private secondary schools on the third day of disruptions, the Ivorian Press Agency (AIP) reported on Thursday 12 November. The students are protesting what they consider excessive enrolment numbers in public schools and are calling in particular for new classrooms and more desk-benches.
According to K. Abraham, a student at a public secondary school, some second-year A and C classes have nearly 130 pupils, sometimes forcing three or four students to share a desk-bench. Konan Kouadio Ambroise, secretary-general 1 of the Soubré prefecture, said public secondary schools accommodate more than 10,000 pupils and have no toilets, while their capacity has been greatly exceeded by the increase in enrolment.
A meeting was held on Wednesday afternoon bringing together prefectural authorities, student representatives, religious leaders, parents and teachers to seek a temporary solution, according to AIP.
