Extension of the secondary school in Sandiara in Senegal 

Created in 2002 by Dr. Serigné Diop, the goal of the Passeport pour l’avenir association is to help the development of education in rural areas. It more specifically aims at encouraging young Senegalese to take scientific and technical training programs so that they can become specialized workers, technicians and managers.

In the rural community of Sandiara, which encompasses 27 villages, there are few technicians and managers. There are about 20 primary schools but no lower or upper secondary schools in this region. The children of this rural community who want to continue their education after the age of 12 are transferred to schools in large cities, far from their parents. As their study and living conditions are often difficult, they drop out of school and swell the ranks of the unemployed and those seeking to emigrate.

Dr. Serigné Diop, R&D director for Africa of a large industrial group and born in a Sandiara village, wanted to eliminate this phenomenon by creating, in 2002, the first secondary school in Sandiara. With the backing of the entire rural community, individuals and for the last few years the Ministry of National Education, his association, Passeport pour l’avenir, now enables 2,000 students to attend school while remaining in their family environment. Located on a 20-hectare site, the school has 20 classrooms today and is growing at the rate of two or three classrooms annually, to admit some 200 new students each year. In 2010, it welcomed 700 additional students, a record for this recently built school. In addition, it has the particularlity of having a large number of girls (850) among its student body, unlike many other schools. The Air Liquide Foundation has been supporting this project since 2010 by financing the construction of several totally equipped classrooms.