Understanding the Multifaceted Issue of Girls Dropping Out of Lower Secondary School: the case of Guinea

This blog is based on the article ‘Le vécu des filles guinéennes au collège : sortir d'une logique déterministe’. Revue internationale d'éducation de Sèvres, 93 | September 2023

The dropout rate among girls in lower secondary school is influenced by a variety of factors. Our risk management-based analytical framework offers a fresh perspective for organizational and educational interventions. Examining the situation in Guinea enables us to take a step aside in the analysis of the role of education actors and identify actionable strategies.

In Guinea, the education system is affected by a deterministic approach, with over half of the students dropping out, particularly during the transition from primary to lower secondary school. The shortcomings of the education system are poorly documented, and the public policies in place are inadequate. Additionally, there is no clear vision for the future employment prospects of young people. Guinea, heavily reliant on international aid, ranks 178th out of 189 countries in terms of wealth per capita according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in 2019. The economy is largely informal, with less than 4% of jobs being officially declared or taxed, and there is no regulatory framework to forecast employment needs. Public education policies struggle to achieve widespread enrollment in both general and technical education. The primary school completion rate is low at 54.1%, with significant gender disparities: 45.7% for girls and 62.7% for boys (PASEC, 2020)¹.

The deterministic logic is particularly detrimental to girls, influenced by socio-economic, cultural (such as early marriage and household chores), and educational factors (limited social and professional opportunities within the education system). Locally, the availability of educational infrastructure is insufficient at both primary and secondary levels. A 2017 study by the Ministry of Education revealed that 23.3% of schools lacked basic facilities like latrines, water points, or fencing², severely limiting the possibilities for female students.

Our research³, conducted between 2020 and 2022, focused on the transition from primary to lower secondary school in Guinea. In the first phase, we interviewed stakeholders from the central education system and visited schools across the country’s four regions (two primary schools and three lower secondary schools per region). The data collected highlighted numerous constraints faced by the education system. In the second phase, we aimed to understand the roles of various actors during this transition. We revisited two secondary schools and interviewed head teachers, class teachers, and sixteen girls who had successfully transitioned to lower secondary school. This analysis provides a pathway for educational leaders to address the issue of school dropout.

• Dropping out is often the result of multiple risk factors which are not formally recognized. We formalize this process as a series of invisible risk situations (Attias-Delattre and Szpiglas, 2013).
• From the perspective of students and their parents, invisible risk situations—such as violence, particularly gender-based violence, both inside and outside school—are not commonly recognized at the national level or within state schools. As a result, there are no formal organizational or educational solutions in place, leaving students to find individual ways to cope, often leading to withdrawal from state schools.
• In this context, we spoke with a class teacher who informally addresses each risky situation faced by girl students in lower secondary school. This teacher’s civic contribution is evident in her ability to listen to and understand the risks faced by students, and to initiate organizational and educational solutions.

To make lower secondary schools more inclusive and accessible to all students, education policies must address the structural and pedagogical failings of the education system, as well as its external social, economic, and cultural environment. Our contribution aims to achieve two main goals:

1. Provide a Protective Structure: Establish a framework that safeguards students both inside and outside of lower secondary school, identifying previously invisible risks and formalizing organizational and educational solutions.
2. Encourage Local Civic Contributions: Promote civic engagement among those involved in the education system to improve school operations and build a shared understanding of the societal, economic, and educational risks faced by girls.

By developing organizational and educational responses, as well as routines, local actors—particularly class teachers—would be gain professional recognition.

Véronique Attias-Delattre is a senior lecturer at the Université Gustave Eiffel (France), IRG research laboratory. She leads international education policy projects (AFIRSE, AUF, UNESCO, EDRAC). She recently coordinated and published (2023) La profession d'enseignant au fil des crises multiformes de légitimité (Amérique du Sud et France), France, Paris: L'Harmattan. 

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1. PASEC (Programme d’Analyse des Systèmes Éducatifs de la CONFEMEN). 2020. Quality of Education Systems in French-soeaking sub-Saharan Africa: Teaching/learning performance in primary education. Dakar: PASEC.

2.   Ministère de l’Education Nationale et de l’Alphabétisation, bureau de Stratégie et développement, 2017. Rapport d’analyse des statistiques scolaires 2016-2017. République de Guinée.
See also: UNESCO IIEP Dakar, Bureau pour l’Afrique ; Fonds des Nations Unies pour l’enfance (UNICEF) ; Guinea. Ministère de l’éducation nationale et de l’alphabétisation ; Guinea. Ministère de l'enseignement technique, de la formation professionnelle, de l'emploi et du travail ; Guinea. Ministère de l’enseignement supérieur et de la recherche scientifique. 2019. République de Guinée: analyse du secteur de l'éducation et de la formation pour l'élaboration du programme décennal (2019-2028). Dakar : UNESCO. IIPE Pôle de Dakar.

3.   L'articulation école/collège par l'analyse des dispositifs organisationnels et pédagogique mis en œuvre au Burkina Faso et en Guinée. Project undertaken from 2019 to 2021 as part of the Support for the Professionalization of Teaching (Appui à la Professionalisation des PRatiques Enseignantes et au Développement de REssources - APPRENDRE), programme implemented by the Francophone University Agency (AUF) with the support of the French Development Agency (AFD).

4. Attias-Delattre V.; Szpirglas M. 2013. 'Désapprendre les risques psychosociaux. Entre sciences sociales et sciences de gestion : pour un cadre d'analyse du risque afin de sortir du piège de la gestion mécaniste'. Revue internationale de psychosociologie et de gestion des comportements organisationnels, 47(19), 165-180. See also the Proceedings of the Congress Nancy 2012 of the French-Speaking Human Resource Management Association.