The Professional Lyceum in Sangha is on the way to be completed. The six classrooms equipped with furniture, the administration buildings, the first hangar, six housings for teachers and two sanitary blocks are ready.
The garden with some trees and plants is taking shape thanks to the supply of fertile soil from the Toguna Agro Industries, our local sponsor of the project.
In Bamako during the meeting with Seydou Nantoume, the owner of the Toguna Agro Industries, we discussed the necessity of a new donation. Toguna Agro Industries will take care of the transport of more fertile soil for planting in total 5.000 trees and 5.000 branches around the 4 hectare terrain, which later will be used by the agricultural department of the Lyceum.
In October 200 students will start with the four practice teaching curriculum: building, water, electricity and agriculture. The students will be trained in practical techniques and gain work experience to be able to start their own enterprise.
During the visit of the Lyceum, also the director of the Lyceum Ladaogo Kinda and the Mayor of Sangha Ali Dolo were present. The director has been appointed by the National Direction of Technical and Vocational Education in Mali. He is now preparing, with a team of five teachers, the program for the fourth practice teaching subjects and they are engaged in organizing a new type of curriculum for the first “Lycee Professionel” in Mali. Ali Dolo, the mayor of Sangha, is being also playing an important role in the relation between the Malian Ministry of Education and the local organization. In fact, the school is public, financed by the government who also takes care of part of the overall school plans. All teachers are contractually going to be paid by the government, which helps to assure the long-term sustainability of the project. In Bamako we also met the national director of Technical and Vocational Education in Mali Oumar Jacouba Maiga, who assured us that the curriculum of the Lyceé Professionnel will be integrated in the Malian educational system. We had also a confirmation for the financial availability for the teaching program from the government.
Now in the terrain all the infrastructure are operational, including a water-well, water points connected to the local water system, electrical supply, batteries and solar panels. What needs to be completed is the perimeter wall and two of the eight teacher housings.
There was a team of five new stagier from the École Technique S. José (ETSJ) of Sevaré working on the completion of the teachers housings, under the supervision of Essay Dara, the head of HCEB masonry team. By the time the school will open, two more hangars, the water tower and a deposit will be completed. The remaining buildings will be constructed by the students, as a real and practical task in the coming years.