In Koulikoro, the first region of Mali located 60km from Bamako, new results of the baccalaureate were proclaimed Wednesday evening following “typing mistakes” in the the correction center secretariat. 221 pupils, already declared admitted, are rejected.
“How is it possible? How is it possible,” shouts Safiatou with both hands on her head. Inconsolable, she celebrated her admission to the baccalaureate, a decisive step for every student, five days ago in Bamako. “She had already failed twice and this time we were all happy for her,” says her guardian.
On Wednesday night, new proclaimed results came to change the situation. Like Safiatou, 220 other candidates are concerned after “serious anomalies revealed at the correction center secretariat of Koulikoro. “It’s mainly about omission of the annual averages of several candidates, lack of post typing checking and numerous typing errors”, according to a statement from the Ministry of Education apologizing to candidates and students’ parents.
After correction, 5,989 are now admitted against 5,742 after the first proclamation. An increased success rate that does not hide the indignation. But the authorities also have enough to defend themselves: “think also of the hundreds of other families who will rejoice. It would have been unfortunate and unfair to make the deserving ones fail and to put others in their place”, explains an adviser at the Ministry of National Education.
Aboubacar Dicko