Sahel EDU

Running a bilingual school: two sections, two languages, one school

A bilingual school brings together students from two subsystems, with different syllabuses, vocabulary and exams. Sahel EDU, software for French-English bilingual schools, keeps both sections in one tool: each has its own marking system and report card, and each person reads the application in their own language.

What a bilingual school has to hold together

Cameroon has two official languages and two subsystems, francophone and anglophone; the 1998 orientation law sets bilingualism at every level of education. A bilingual school therefore takes in, under one roof, students who follow one syllabus or the other, sometimes both. The second official language is also a subject from primary school onwards, assessed every month.

The practical needs are easy to state and long to keep up:

Francophone and anglophone classes, each with its subjects, vocabulary and marking.
Report cards in the language of each section.
Parents who speak different languages in the same school.
Exams from two systems: the BEPC, probatoire and baccalaureate on one side, the GCE on the other.
A single set of accounts and a single student file.

Two sections, one school

Sahel EDU lets a school keep several sections (francophone, anglophone, bilingual, Arabic), each with its own marking system and report card. The same students, the same parents and the same fees stay in one tool, with no double entry.

For 2026-2027, one joint order sets the calendar for both subsystems (terms, assessments, annual composition). Sahel EDU sets this official calendar; a day without lessons expects no register and no clock-in.

Francophone, anglophone, bilingual or Arabic sections in one school.
Marking system and report card specific to each section.
Same students, same parents, same fees.
Official calendar common to both subsystems.

Everyone reads in their own language

Each person, whether teacher, parent, student or member of the management, chooses their language: French, English or Arabic, and the screen follows. The school’s messages are delivered in the language of the account, and the school chooses the languages of its documents.

Receipts come out in three languages with the amount in words, and the school’s public website is published in French, English and Arabic. A trade term is always translated the same way: report card, mark, register, timetable, student number.

Interface in French, English or Arabic, as each person chooses.
School messages in the language of the family’s account.
Receipts as PDFs, in three languages.
Public school website in three languages.

Report cards and documents in both languages

The language of the report card is chosen at printing: French for the francophone section, English for the anglophone section. A “two-panel” style sets the subjects in two columns and writes the mark in figures and in words, in French, English or Arabic. The report card fits on one A4 page, and a whole class comes out as a single PDF.

Attestations, certificates and cards carry the school’s logo and name. When the school’s opening authorisation has been verified, they carry a Sahel Shield QR Code whose verification page is shown in three languages. Teachers’ remarks stay as the teacher writes them, in their own language.

Report card in French or in English, depending on the section.
“Two-panel” style: mark in figures and in words.
QR Code verification page in three languages.
A whole class batch in a single PDF.

The exams of both systems

On the francophone side, the BEPC exists in a bilingual version, with Intensive English and an oral test, and the second-cycle ABI series is the bilingual version of the A4 series. On the anglophone side, the GCE Board runs the GCE Ordinary Level and the GCE Advanced Level. Sahel EDU knows these exam classes. The GCE scales, in letters and points, are supplied as “probable”: the Board’s own text could not be found.

For each candidate, the file (exact class list, birth certificates to regularise, status) is prepared, and the files in the exam offices’ templates (Epim’Exams, Spider, GCE Board) are to be checked against the official file before the school submits them. Nothing is transmitted automatically.

Bilingual BEPC and the ABI series known to the reference data.
GCE Ordinary and Advanced Level, with scales in letters and probable points.
Candidate files to check against the official file.

Limits, and where to start

Sahel EDU speaks French, English and Arabic. The coefficients of the anglophone subsystem are for the head to confirm: no text we read fixes them, and the check before publication warns the head until they click “I confirm these coefficients”.

To get started, create the sections, import each section’s students from Excel, set the marking of each section, then choose the language of each document.

Create the school’s sections.
Import students and staff.
Confirm the coefficients of the anglophone subsystem.

Sources

Law No. 98/004 of 14 April 1998 on the orientation of education in Cameroon

Frequently asked questions

Can an anglophone parent and a francophone parent follow their children in the same school?

Yes. Each person chooses their language, and the school’s messages reach them in the language of their account.

Can one section have an English report card and the other a French one?

Yes. Each section has its own report card, and the language is chosen at printing.

Are the GCE scales official in the software?

They are supplied as scales in letters and “probable” points: the Board’s own text could not be found. The school stays in control.

Can Sahel EDU be used outside Cameroon?

Sahel EDU is today designed, validated and usable for schools in Cameroon, where bilingualism is written into law. In another Central African country, the application already reads in French, English and Arabic and counts in CFA francs, but the country’s official levels, exams, calendars and report cards are set up with our team, school by school, before opening.

Can we try it before committing?

Yes. The free trial lasts 30 days, with no commitment. The price is then negotiated with each school and can be read on the Pricing page.

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