Burkina Faso considers cap on private school fees to ease family burden

“School fees are so high that capping them will somewhat relieve our parents and help them educate our children properly,” says Alain Damiba, a slam artist who believes fee regulation is more necessary than ever.

But will this regulation really ease the burden on parents? Opinions are divided. Some argue that more investment in public school construction is needed. Others believe the measure could significantly reduce household financial pressure.

“It will greatly help parents, even if it’s just a reduction of 10,000 francs. Because life is tough today, almost everything has gone up in price while salaries remain unchanged,” laments Giles Sawadogo, a father.

On the question of an ideal amount, several respondents suggest a cap between 50,000 and 100,000 FCFA per child per year, depending on the level of education and services provided. Others prefer free access to educational institutions.

“If we could go to school for free, that would be great. For university, we could also adopt measures for more affordable fees. The country needs more institutions, especially technical schools. We must build public schools, public universities… That would balance things a bit and force private schools to review their fees,” says Bassirou Gnaboné, a Master I student in Taxation.

Finally, some observers caution that regulation alone will not solve the problem. They argue the state must also invest more in building public schools, hiring teachers, and improving infrastructure. Such a solution could, in the long term, reduce families’ heavy reliance on private education.