Sahel EDU

School management in the CEMAC zone: six education systems, one school group, one piece of software?

CEMAC brings together six states that share a currency, the CFA franc, and often French, but whose schools follow neither the same cycles, nor the same exams, nor the same calendar. This page compares those six systems, then says honestly what a school group present in several countries can expect today from Sahel EDU, school management software designed in Ngaoundéré.

What the six CEMAC countries have in common

The Economic and Monetary Community of Central Africa has six member states: Cameroon, Chad, the Central African Republic, the Republic of the Congo, Gabon and Equatorial Guinea. With the exception of Equatorial Guinea, their school systems inherit the French model.

A common currency, the CFA franc, issued by the zone’s central bank.
French as a language of instruction or an official language, with additional languages depending on the country: English, Arabic, Sango, Spanish, Portuguese.
Pre-school, a primary school of about six years, a lower secondary school of four years and a high school of three years, at least in francophone Cameroon, Chad, the Central African Republic, Gabon and the Congo.
Three national diplomas: a certificate at the end of primary school, a certificate at the end of lower secondary school and the baccalaureate, together with technical education.
Three terms and marking out of 20 in secondary school in most countries, out of 10 in Equatorial Guinea.
A very present private sector: it takes the majority of pre-school children in all six countries, from 56% to 74% according to the UNESCO Institute for Statistics, for different reference years.

What changes from one country to the next

For software, the differences matter more than the common ground: they decide which levels, exams, languages and calendars have to be set up.

Cameroon: two sub-systems, French-language and English-language (GCE), three exam bodies (OBC, DECC, GCE Board) and a calendar set every year by joint order.
Chad: French and Arabic, a French-language stream and an Arabic-language stream, the BEF and the baccalaureate, and no national exam at the end of primary school.
Central African Republic: a fundamental 1 and a fundamental 2 cycle, the CEF 1, the lower secondary certificate and a two-round baccalaureate; French and Sango.
Gabon: a single system in French, three kinds of school (public, faith-based, secular), contracted public schools and assessment by stages.
Congo: a school year from October to July, general and technical exams run separately, and a primary reform announced.
Equatorial Guinea: a system of Spanish tradition, taught in Spanish, with marking from 0 to 10.

No common exam, calendar or report card

We found no common exam, no common calendar and no common report card across CEMAC: each country sets its own. The school year starts in September in Cameroon and Gabon according to recently published calendars, around 1 October in the Congo, and in Chad as in the Central African Republic an administrative start comes before the teaching start. Several countries adjust their calendar during the year.

For a school, this means one reference framework per country, never a shared one: lengths of cycles, names, exams, calendars and holidays all differ. For software, it means no calendar or name should be hard-coded, and that the same application must be able to carry several.

A school group in several countries: what Sahel EDU allows today

Sahel EDU is today designed, validated and usable for schools in Cameroon. For a school in Chad, the Central African Republic, Gabon, the Congo or Equatorial Guinea, the application already reads in French, English and Arabic, counts in CFA francs and has the common tools: classes, marks out of 5, 10, 20 or 100, the register, fees and receipts, and documents that can be verified by QR Code. However, the levels, exams, calendars and official report cards of your country are not built in: they are set up with our team, school by school, before opening.

For a group, the multi-school structure already exists and that is its strength: each school has its own address and its own data, and the network links what has to be linked.

One address per school, with strictly separated data.
People and accounts shared across the network: a teacher who changes school keeps their account, a parent keeps a single login for all their children.
Roles specific to each school.
Transfer of a student within the network: same student number, the originating school decides.
Schools attached to a head of network, with a network honour roll in which students from other schools stay masked.
The Network plan, on quotation, for school groups and schools on several sites.

What is set up country by country before opening

Each country is set up with our team, school by school. A group that wants a single tool for several countries must therefore plan one set-up step per country, and accept the limits below. Describe your situation to us: we will tell you frankly what is ready and what remains to be adapted.

If a start is possible, it begins with a free trial of 30 days, with no commitment. The price is then negotiated with each school and can be read on the Pricing page.

Each country’s levels, series, coefficients and exam names are not preloaded.
The preloaded cycle (terms and sequences) and the official calendar entered are those of Cameroon, for 2026-2027 only.
Screens are not separated country by country: a school outside Cameroon may see Cameroonian wording on them.
Outside Cameroon, documents come out without a state letterhead.
Phone numbers are normalised to the Cameroonian format, and the payment methods and payroll are those of Cameroon.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Do the six CEMAC countries have the same school system?

No. They share a currency and often French, but their cycles, exams, languages and calendars differ from one country to another.

Is there a common exam or report card across CEMAC?

We found none. Each country sets its own exams, calendar and marking rules.

Can a school group in several countries use Sahel EDU?

For Cameroon, yes. For the other countries, each school is set up with our team before opening, with the limits described above.

Why do school calendars differ from one country to another?

Each country sets its calendar every year, with its own start dates, term dates and exam dates. The Congo, for example, starts its year in October.

Can we try it before committing?

If a start is possible after talking with our team, it begins with a free trial of 30 days, with no commitment.

Try Sahel EDU for free

Try Sahel EDU free for 30 days, no commitment. Afterwards, the price is negotiated with your school and confirmed in writing.

Book a private demonstration See pricing How the trial works