From Legacy to Agency: How the British Model Could Inspire an Educational Renaissance in Côte d'Ivoire

The Ivorian school system, a historic pillar of social mobility and crucible of national elites, stands today at a crossroads. Inherited from a rigorous colonial model, it now faces a monumental challenge: transitioning from a system designed to produce graduates to a school that builds nation-builders.

Confronted with overcrowded classrooms, fragile foundational skills, and a growing disconnect from socioeconomic realities, mere adjustments will not suffice. A complete overhaul is needed. And this transformation can find a surprising and fertile source of inspiration in the structuring principles of the British educational system. Not to copy, but to adapt. Not to import, but to reinvent.

1. From a Fixed Syllabus to a Living Curriculum: The Foundations of Active Knowledge

The British model excels in the delicate balance between timeless fundamental knowledge and 21st-century skills. Reading, writing, and scientific reasoning are its pillars, but they support a flexible edifice: critical thinking, collaboration, creativity, and active citizenship.

For Côte d'Ivoire, the task is threefold:

• Consolidate the basics with unwavering rigor: A solid mastery of language and mathematics from primary school is not optional; it is the essential condition for any intellectual emancipation.

• Root learning in the Ivorian reality: Integrating local history, the country's economic challenges, and its cultural riches transforms students from passive spectators into engaged actors in their environment.

• Diversify pathways to unlock all talents: Technical, artistic, or entrepreneurial excellence must be valued and structured as much as the traditional academic path.
  

The goal? Replace the "single track" leading to the baccalauréat with an "ecosystem of possibilities" where every young person can forge a personal and useful trajectory.

2. From Student as Executor to Student as Architect: A Pedagogy of Agency

At the heart of the British model lies a conviction: one does not learn by listening, but by doing. Debates, cross-curricular projects, case studies, and experiments are not "extra activities"; they are the core of the method. They forge the most crucial competency for the continent's future: the ability to solve complex problems.

Transposed to the Ivorian context, this active approach could revolutionize the relationship with knowledge. The teacher would cease to be the sole holder of truth to become an architect of learning experiences. They would evolve into the status of a practitioner-researcher, constantly observing, experimenting, and improving their practice within vibrant professional communities.

3. From Centralisation to Local Responsibility: Governance Serving the Front Lines

The strength of the British model also lies in its governing balance: a clear national framework, combined with significant autonomy granted to schools. This empowerment of on-the-ground actors enables innovation, adaptation to local realities, and more agile resource management.

For Côte d'Ivoire, such a shift would be profoundly transformative. It would involve:

• Giving school principals real pedagogical and partnership leeway.

• Establishing a culture of formative assessment and continuous feedback, aimed at improvement far more than sanction.

• Making each school a laboratory of excellence adapted to its context, while being nourished by a shared national vision.
  

MORIM's Role in This Strategic Transition

The shift from a school that "prepares for exams" to a school that "prepares for the future" is an ambitious endeavour. It is not decreed; it is built. And this construction begins with transforming the culture, posture, and skills of the system's actors.

This is precisely MORIM's mission. We operate at the critical intersection between education, guidance, and employability, by supporting:

• Institutions in strengthening their pedagogical culture and developing an educational vision focused on impact.

• Teachers and educational leaders in their transformation into reflective practitioners and pedagogical leaders.

• Families and young people in discerning the pathways that will build tomorrow's Africa.
  

The renaissance of the Ivorian educational system is not a utopia. It is an urgent necessity. And it rests on a clear choice: continue to manage the legacy, or have the courage to become its architects.

Ready to turn vision into action? Let's discuss how MORIM can support your institution, your team, or your project in this fundamental transition.