Sahel EDU

Choosing school management software in Chad: what the Chadian system requires

In Chad, a school works with two official languages, three terms, national exams set by level and a large private sector. This page describes that system, then says plainly what Sahel EDU, school management software designed in Ngaoundéré, already offers a Chadian school and what is set up with our team before opening.

The Chadian education system: cycles and names

The Chadian system follows the French tradition. Primary school lasts six years, in three courses of two years each, and the lower secondary school runs from the 6e to the 3e. According to UNESCO, promotion is in principle automatic within each two-year course of primary school; in practice, repeating a year still happens.

The exam classes are the 3e and the final year (Terminale). Technical and vocational education is organised in training centres, technical colleges and technical high schools.

Pre-school: children under six, in nursery schools or kindergartens.
Primary: six years, in three courses of two years (CP1 and CP2, CE1 and CE2, CM1 and CM2).
Lower secondary: from the 6e to the 3e, in a general education college.
General upper secondary: 2nde, 1re and Terminale, in a high school.
Technical and vocational: BEP, CAP, technician’s certificate and technological baccalaureate.

Exams, marking and the calendar in a Chadian school

National exams are known by name: the BEF (basic education certificate, taken at the end of the 3e and still sometimes called the BEPC) and the baccalaureate of general and technical secondary education, run by the ONECS, the national office for higher-education exams and competitions. On the technical side there are the BEP, the CAP and the technician’s certificate. According to the Chadian press, there is no longer a national exam at the end of primary school: the CEPE and the entrance competition for the 6e are no longer held, and teachers’ unions are asking for them to return. Baccalaureate series include A4, C, D, E, G2 and G3, as well as Arabic-medium series (AA, DA, G2A).

The school year has three terms: the calendar published for 2026-2027 ties the Christmas break to the end of the first term and the Easter break to the end of the second. The calendar is set every year and has the exam classes return before the others, so software must not hard-code its dates. Marking is out of 20 in secondary school and, according to older sources, out of 10 in primary school: each school confirms its own.

Two official languages and schools of several kinds

French and Arabic are the official languages. There are French-medium schools, Arabic-medium schools, Franco-Arabic schools, and separate baccalaureate series for the two streams. The press also reports a recent policy of bilingualism in schools, with Arabic-speaking teachers working alongside French-speaking teachers.

Schools are public, private (secular or faith-based, with the Catholic Church strongly present), community-run, Franco-Arabic or Quranic; parents’ associations (APE) and mothers’ associations (AME) are part of the picture. A private school presents an authorisation to operate in order to enter its candidates for the baccalaureate. School administration relies on academies, provincial offices and departmental inspectorates, in a country of 23 provinces including N’Djamena.

What Sahel EDU already offers a Chadian school

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

Arabic from right to left everywhere (screens, report cards, documents), with Arabic numerals and lists sorted by the Arabic alphabet.
A fully Arabic report card, or a two-panel report card with the mark in figures and in words.
Marks out of 10 or 20, three terms, and averages, ranks and grades worked out by a single engine; coefficients are set by subject and by series.
Fees by item, payment schedules and numbered PDF receipts, with the amount in words.
The register and mark entry kept on the phone when the network drops, then sent again when the connection returns.
Data kept separate for each school and backed up every hour.

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.

Chadian levels, series and coefficients are not preloaded: they are set with us.
Documents come out without a state letterhead: they carry the school’s name, logo and colour.
Candidate lists in the ONECS format and statistical returns in the census format are not produced: the school prepares them itself.
The national Franco-Arabic report card is not built in.
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 Chadian school right now?

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

Does Arabic display correctly, from right to left?

Yes. Screens, report cards and documents are written from right to left, with Arabic numerals, and lists of people follow the Arabic alphabet.

Are candidate lists for the baccalaureate or the BEF produced?

No. The ONECS format is not built in and Sahel EDU does not replace official registration: the school prepares its own lists.

Does Sahel EDU collect school fees in place of the school?

No. It triggers no online payment: the school records the payment received at the cash desk or by deposit, and the family sees its receipt and balance. Chad’s mobile payment operators are not built in.

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. The price is then negotiated with each school.

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