Establishing A Technical College In Ivory Coast Dissertation

Establishing A Technical College In Ivory Coast - Dissertation Example The secondary school education consisted of two learning cycles totaling to seven years of learning. After the first cycle (the first four years of learning), the students were to sit for an exam and be issued with a certificate in lower secondary education- BEPC. With this qualification, a student would take on an entry-level job, join a teacher-training institution, or proceed to a college for three years. There were other alternative (complementary) courses for the students who did not make it to the colleges that combined both academic and practical training to equip the students with adequate skills that are essential in improving their productivity in the competitive labor market. The students received a certification that corresponds to one or two years of study at the university level in the US. This certification provided a qualification to pursue technical institutions and improve their professional and analytical skills. Education promotes political, social, and economic d evelopment in a given country. A good education can only be realized if an effective educational system is put in place. Nevertheless, the development of this effective educational system is in turn affected by the political, economic, and social factors prevailing in Cote d’Ivoire (King, and Martin, 2010). This paper seeks to establish a vocational learning institution in the republic of Ivory Coast. This following the fact that higher education in this West African state has highly been affected by political instability and socio-economic variables in the economy. The country’s youth population in need for higher education is very proportionate. Youths and the upcoming generation form the backbone to the economy of Ivory Coast. However, their ability and capacity to deliver is barred by inadequate access to learning institutions and facilities. Increasing access to these social amenities in the economy will therefore be essential in developing their technical and pro fessional potentials, Motivation Ivory Coast was a French colony and attained her independence in 1960. After the independence, the country was under a system of one-party rule for three decades with President Felix Houphouet-Boigny. On 28 October 1990, the country had the first presidential election in which the incumbent won with over 80% of the votes. Coupled with the social crisis that rocked the country, the presidential elections led to political unrest since the electoral process was marred by allegations of rigging. Even though it was believed that democracy had been restored in country, the opposition parties and their leaders have not been treated fairly (Middleton, Ziderman, & Van, 2011). Therefore, there has been constant political unrest within the country. Last year, another presidential election was held in which his opponents according to the elections commission defeated the defending president. The president dismissed the results and refused to concede defeat leadi ng to another political unrest. This situation lasted until the president was forcefully hoisted from power. Since then, the country is in the process of reconstructing its broken system and fixing the social and economic crises. As at 2005, Cote d’Ivoire had a large number of youthful populations with more than 42% of the entire population being below 15 years. A report by the IMF in 2006 approximated the population of Ivory Coast to be 18.9 million. This decline in population growth rate was attributed to the fall in fertility rate, poor health, and lower immigration rate. Out of this population, approximately 48.8% of Ivorian lives below the poverty line with less than USD2 to survive on per day. Social amenities such as health, education, and housing have deteriorated