Sahel EDU

End-of-cycle orientation: collect choices, inform the opinion, decide in council, place the student

Every year, some students find themselves in a stream chosen in a hurry, sometimes without their parents having understood what it opens up. For orientation to be fair, choices must be expressed in time, an opinion must rest on results and the council must decide. Sahel EDU, student orientation software, organises these steps, from the choices period to placement in the class.

Why end-of-cycle orientation matters so much

In Cameroon, the end of the first cycle is a moment of choice. Moving up to the second cycle requires the first-cycle diploma, the BEPC, and the general second cycle is divided into streams, among them A, C, D, TI and others. Technical education has its own streams.

A poor orientation costs several years: repeated years, discouragement, dropping out. It should therefore be prepared with families, well before the class council decides.

Arts, science and technology streams do not lead to the same studies.
Parents’ expectations do not always match the student’s results.
Not every school opens the same streams: the choice depends on the school’s own course map.
A late decision leaves little time to change one’s mind.

A simple method for orienting students

Whether or not a school uses software, serious orientation follows steps in a precise order. The entry criteria for each stream are those of the school and its class council, and are best made known to families in advance.

Inform students and parents about the open streams and what they prepare for.
Open a precise period to collect choices.
Ask for several ranked choices, not a single one.
Compare each choice with the year’s results in the key subjects.
Have difficult cases examined in the class council, with the form teacher.
Communicate the decision and support students who do not get their first choice.

With Sahel EDU: the choices period

The head opens the choices period. The student, or a parent, ranks up to three choices among those in the school’s course map: the second languages open in the third year of secondary school, or the streams open in the second cycle. The student’s choice waits for a parent’s confirmation before it is taken into account.

Choices are entered from the phone, in the “My choices” card of the student’s or family’s space. No paper to collect, and no risk that a child’s choice is passed on without the family’s agreement.

A choices period opened and closed by the head.
Up to three choices ranked in order of preference.
Options limited to those the school really opens.
A parent’s confirmation for the student’s choice.
A “My choices” card in the student’s and family’s space.

The calculated opinion and the council’s decision

On the “Orientation” page, the deputy head and the head see all the choices. An opinion is calculated from the year’s averages, brought to a scale of twenty: for example, mathematics and physics-chemistry for stream C, life sciences for stream D. For a second language, the first open choice is kept.

The opinion informs, but does not decide. The council makes the decision, and the opinion as it stood that day is frozen with it, so that it can be understood later what it rested on. A demand count per choice also gives an overview of the number of candidates for each stream.

All the choices on a single page, for the deputy head and the head.
An opinion calculated from the year’s averages.
A demand count per choice to anticipate numbers.
A council decision, with the opinion frozen.

Placement in the class

Once the decision is taken, the switch places each admitted student in a class of their language or stream, choosing the least crowded. The allocation thus follows real numbers and keeps any class from overflowing.

For end-of-year decisions, the possible outcomes remain those of the council: admitted, conditionally admitted, repeating, oriented or excluded. Orientation is one decision among others, entered on the last term’s report card.

Placement in the class of the stream or language decided.
An allocation that favours the least crowded class.
An end-of-year decision that stays readable in the file.

Limits and where to start

Sahel EDU organises and traces orientation; it replaces neither the class council nor the guidance counsellor. The calculated opinion is a marker based on averages, not a judgement of the person.

To start, check that the school’s course map is up to date, then open the choices period early enough for families to talk with teachers.

The streams offered are those the school opens in its course map.
The opinion rests on averages, not on the student’s abilities or tastes.
The BEPC remains compulsory to enter the second cycle.
The decision always rests with the class council.

Frequently asked questions

How many choices can a student make?

Up to three, ranked among the options the school opens. The student’s choice waits for a parent’s confirmation.

Does the calculated opinion decide the orientation?

No. It informs the council, which makes the decision. The opinion of the day is frozen with the decision.

Do parents see their child’s choices?

Yes. They appear in the “My choices” card of the student’s and family’s space, and the parent confirms the choice.

Does orientation also cover the choice of a second language?

Yes. At the end of the second year of secondary school the choices cover the second languages open in the third year, and at the end of the fourth year the streams of the second cycle.

Can we try this feature 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.

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