Sahel EDU

School management software in Congo-Brazzaville: the Congolese system and its reform

In the Republic of the Congo (Brazzaville), the school year starts in October, general and technical exams are run separately and a reform of primary education has been announced. This page describes that system, then says plainly what Sahel EDU, school management software designed in Ngaoundéré, already offers a Congolese school and what is set up with our team. It does not concern the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Kinshasa).

The Congolese system: cycles and names

According to the education sector strategy 2015-2025, the system is organised into pre-school, primary, lower secondary, high school and technical education. Schooling is compulsory up to age 16. Primary school divides into an awakening cycle (CP1, CP2, CE1) and a consolidation cycle (CE2, CM1, CM2).

Technical education offers technical colleges, which lead to the technical studies certificate, technical high schools, which prepare for the technical baccalaureate and the BEP, as well as vocational training schools and trade centres.

Pre-school: three years, from three to five years old (P1, P2, P3).
Primary: six years, from 6 to 11 years old, CP1 to CM2, closed by the CEPE.
Lower secondary: four years, from the 6e to the 3e, closed by the BEPC.
High school: three years, from the seconde to the Terminale, closed by the baccalaureate.
Technical: BET, BEP, CAP and technical baccalaureate.

A reform announced: what could change

A draft reform of the education system, presented in early 2026, provides in particular for a five-year primary school with a single preparatory course, a primary studies certificate (CEP) based on continuous assessment in CM2 in place of the CEPE, and a compulsory third year of pre-school. According to the Congolese press, the June 2026 session of the CEPE would be the last one held as a national exam.

To our knowledge, this draft has not yet come into force: the length of primary school and its names may therefore change. School management software must let each school set the number of years in its cycles and their names; with Sahel EDU, this set-up is done with our team.

A five-year primary school instead of six, with a single preparatory course in place of CP1 and CP2.
A primary studies certificate based on continuous assessment in CM2.
A compulsory third year of pre-school.
Secondary unchanged: four years of lower secondary and three years of high school.

Exams, marking and a school year from October to July

Exams are known by name: the CEPE, the BEPC, the general baccalaureate, reserved for final-year students, and on the technical side the BET, the BEP, the CAP and the technical baccalaureate. General and technical exams are run separately, and sessions carry a number and a year. An entrance competition for schools of excellence, open to CEPE holders, exists separately.

Schools generally use marking out of 20 and three terms, but we found no Congolese text that sets them: each school sets its own. Unlike Cameroon and Gabon, the school year starts around 1 October and ends in July, according to start-of-year announcements: software must not pre-fill a September-to-June calendar.

Languages, types of school and territorial organisation

French is the official language and the language of instruction; Lingala and Kituba are national lingua francas. English is a school subject.

Schools are public (free in principle, with parents’ contributions in practice), secular private, contracted private (faith-based, tied to the state by agreement) or community-run. Private general-education schools depend on an approval commission that grants definitive or provisional approval. The country has fifteen departments since October 2024; Brazzaville and Pointe-Noire, both communes and departments, hold the majority of lower secondary students.

What Sahel EDU already offers a Congolese school

Sahel EDU is today designed, validated and usable for schools in Cameroon. For a school in the Congo, 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.

Marks out of 20, averages, ranks and grades worked out by a single engine, with coefficients set by subject and by series.
The class council, the end-of-year decisions and the closing that freezes the period.
Fees by item, payment schedules, numbered receipts and a balance for each family, with separate cash desks for parents’ contributions.
The register and mark entry kept on the phone when the network drops, then sent again when the connection returns.
Documents (school attendance certificate, certificate, student card) with a verification QR Code once the school’s opening authorisation has been verified.
Data kept separate for each school, backed up every hour and exportable by the head.

What is set up with our team before opening

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. 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.

Levels, the names CEPE, BEPC and baccalaureate, and series are not preloaded; the primary reform is followed with us.
The October-to-July year is entered with us: the preloaded calendar is that of Cameroon.
The two exam streams, general and technical, are told apart when candidate lists are prepared, and the school prepares those lists itself.
Sahel EDU does not replace official exam registration and sends nothing automatically.
Documents come out without a state letterhead: they carry the school’s name, logo and colour.
Phone numbers are normalised to the Cameroonian format, and the payment methods offered are those of Cameroon.

Sources

Frequently asked questions

Can Sahel EDU serve a school in Brazzaville or Pointe-Noire right now?

It is designed and validated for Cameroon. For the Congo, the application reads in French and has its common tools, but Congolese levels, exams, calendars and report cards are set up with our team before opening.

Is the primary reform built in?

No: to our knowledge, the draft is not yet in force. Cycles and their names are set up with our team and can be adjusted when the reform is applied.

Do Congo-Brazzaville and the DRC share the same system?

No. They are two separate countries, each with its own system. This page concerns only the Republic of the Congo, whose capital is Brazzaville.

Is the October-to-July year handled?

It is not preloaded: the preloaded calendar is that of Cameroon. The Congolese year is entered with our team before opening.

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.

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