Child labor became the focus of yesterday's Malagasy exam for the BEPC (Brevet d'études du premier cycle). As students left the examination halls, opinions were divided.

Child labor was among the themes addressed yesterday during the Malagasy exam for the Certificate of First Cycle Studies (BEPC). In the written expression section, worth 14 points, candidates were invited to reflect on this issue based on the prompt: "Betsaka ny ankizy sy vanton-jaza miasa ankehitriny" ("Many children and minors are working today"). They had to cite two causes of this phenomenon and write a response of about fifteen sentences, following a structured plan, coherent argumentation, and correct spelling.

"The two main causes of child labor in Madagascar are, on one hand, family poverty, which pushes many parents to involve their children in income-generating activities to meet household needs. On the other hand, school dropout or difficulties accessing education encourage children to enter the workforce early," explains Daniel Randriamananjara, a Malagasy language teacher.

A Topical Issue

Beyond child labor, candidates were also questioned on exhumation and other topics covered in the curriculum. As students left the examination halls, opinions were mixed. Some candidates found the subject difficult, while others found it manageable.

"For my part, I found only one cause explaining why many children work today. It's the extreme poverty that some families experience," says Ismael Notsongaina, a candidate at the Lycée Andoharanofotsy examination center. Conversely, another candidate believes the subject was within students' reach. "It's a current issue. Many children work today to help their families. Some have no choice, as it's even their parents who encourage them to work," he testifies.

Some candidates also noted that they had not completed the school curriculum. According to them, certain concepts in the subject had not yet been studied in class, which may have put some students in difficulty. "We haven't finished all the lessons planned for this year. Some questions covered concepts we hadn't yet seen in class. I tried to answer them with what I knew," confides Finaritra, a BEPC candidate.

Beyond the exam, the subject reminded us that child labor remains a concerning reality in Madagascar.