Ousmane Sore is 48 years old. He began his teaching career in 1999. Today, Ousmane is in position in the village of Yamadio, in Sanguié province, in the center-west of Burkina Faso. He is the director of the Yamadio Public Primary School and holds the middle-grade first-year class. Perspective on Teacher’s Day, his profession and the conditions under which he practices it.
“Teacher’s Day is a recognition of the nobility of the teacher’s work and its central role in education. This day dedicated to the teacher honors us. It is proof of the awareness of the international community of the importance of the teacher. Teacher’s Day motivates us to commit ourselves more to the education of the children who are in our care.
Teaching is a noble profession but for teachers, it is a sacrifice, especially for those who practice in rural areas. It is for the love of children that we sacrifice ourselves so that they are citizens of tomorrow.
The impression of being left behind
We face many challenges depending on our area of assignment. Teachers in rural areas face housing difficulties, as well as lack of furniture in many schools. Sometimes, we have about fifty children in a class with very few benches. The children are tight, which is not at all comfortable for working. We also lack documents to prepare courses and didactic materials to facilitate children’s understanding of the lessons.
In Burkina Faso, teachers are the ones left behind. We are marginalized, without consideration. They are not motivated by governments, yet teachers are the basis of the construction of our states. Without education, how would the world be? However, after twenty years of experience and taking into account the areas where I worked, I can say that people have understood the importance of school over time. Education is crucial in everyone’s life. Before, the government was forced to carry out awareness campaigns to convince parents to enroll their children. Today, in many places, even the poorest farmer is aware of the importance of school and he is fighting for his child to go. A child who has not been to school risks being deprived of a future. A child who can not read or write is almost doomed. “