80 % of the students attending the Family Farm Schools classes in DRC passed the 2016 JUNACYP exams (Professional Short-Term Training National Board of Examiners) with flying colors! This degree is recognized by the Congolese government. It is therefore a big step towards the recognition of the FFS by the authorities, which will increase the exposure of the FFS in the DR of Congo and strengthen the appeal they have.

The Professional Short-Term Training National Board of Examiners is a degree awarded at the end of a two-year training program in professional fields. The exam is built on a competency-based approach and it is structured around three theoretical and practical sessions including the presentation of an internship report. Each student is therefore supposed to attend a one-month internship beforehand. The internship needs to be directly connected to the professional field selected by the student.

“I selected bee-keeping as the theme for my third-year project. There are few bee-keepers in my village although the activity is profitable. I am now doing my professional training at the Botanical Garden of Kisantu, which is a major opportunity for me and will make it possible for me to increase a real know-how.”

Jasmine N’Dilu, 16-year-old, student in her third year at the FFS of Ngidinga in DRC

In the DRC, agricultural education trains mostly agronomists and focuses on providing the students with a degree. The training provided by the FFS is the opposite as the main goal is focused on enabling the students to gain key competences in agriculture in order to integrate them into the job market. The student is assisted right from the beginning in his activities which helps him to find opportunities at the end of his training period.

In the December newsletter, we also talk about the visit of the new French ambassador of Cameroon at the Family Farm School of Trypano as well as the training of the parties involved in the FFS of Yamoussoukro in Ivory Coast.