A Discussion with Pauline Kologo, Bookstore Administrator, University of Ouagadougou, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
With: Pauline Kologo Berkley Center Profile
July 22, 2014
Background: As part of the Education and Social Justice
Project, undergraduate student Hopey Fink interviewed Pauline Kologo, bookstore
administrator at the University of Ouagadougou. In this interview, conducted in
July 2014, Kologo discusses public and private universities in Burkina Faso,
collaboration in the work of the bookstore, and how education is reflected in
the political dynamics of the country.
How does the system of
libraries and bookstores function in private universities?
Everyone comes to the public bookstores. Every year we talk with the private Catholic bookstore and they get some of their books from us. But the administration is not easy.
Do you have to talk a lot with the university administration, or is your work more or less independent?
It is mostly independent, but everything pertaining to the regulations must pass through the administration. We must pay attention to the investors in the university as well as the government, where funds come from. It is a joint effort. For example, we get a lot of French books donated.
You spoke about your collaboration with other universities. Do you also collaborate with religious institutions?
No, but we are open to everyone. We do not have religious books; that is part of our program. The French, who tend to be very secular, are the ones who supply our bookstores and libraries.
Do Burkinabé citizens pay taxes that go towards education?
Yes. There is a tax that is pulled from your salary. Each worker has a portion taken. It is not a free choice. The government decides where these funds go—it is a function of charges.
During the election period, is education a topic that is important for politicians or the people?
Yes, they talk a lot about education. In fact, it accounts for about ten percent of what they say. They want to have votes, and because the population is very poor, it suffices to give only a little bribe and a little promise. Especially in the countryside, people are so poor. They are naïve and the majority are illiterate. Frankly, this is how politicians win.
Are most Burkinabè politicians educated here, or do they go abroad to study?
Most have gone abroad—in Europe, sometimes in other parts of Africa, but that is very rare. These are people who already have connections. Most are familiar with foreign places—90 percent of politicians, I would say.
Several students have talked about student organizations and movements, like the student unions for activists at the university; how is your work at the bookstore affected by this? When there are strikes, for example?
Yes, these are a big part of university culture. They decide everything. My work at the bookstore is not really affected—it stays open. It is only the courses that close. The strikes do not touch the administration. They take security measures so things do not get too crazy. Sometimes students break things. So we have to close up everything. It is fairly often that demonstrations are violent. At the beginning, they are always peaceful. But they become violent. People start throwing rocks. Sometimes the politicians use these student groups. Because it is a force, all those students.
What are your interactions like with professors and faculty?
They come individually, but not directly. They usually pass through the administration to order what they want. They often do not pay. They just photocopy, photocopy, photocopy! It is complicated when students do not have scholarships. It becomes difficult, especially for those studying medicine, where they have to have expensive books.
How many scholarships are there? Are they given by the university or by the government?
Each year, there are about 15 to 16 scholarships to study abroad. Often they go to Morocco. You must score around a 15 on your BAC [baccalaureate exam] to get those. There are a lot more national scholarships—you just have to take the BAC and receive a certain score, I think a 13. It depends on the age and the means whether every student with this score can receive a scholarship. It is easier to get them if you are a girl. They are trying to increase girls’ education—it is an initiative of the government.
Are there any other initiatives of the government or the university to empower girls?
There are services at the university. Not a lot.
Are there accelerated programs at the university?
Yes, but because of the chaotic academic calendar, it is hard to standardize honors classes. Professors recently had a six-month strike. So different disciplines did not start at the same time.
Everyone comes to the public bookstores. Every year we talk with the private Catholic bookstore and they get some of their books from us. But the administration is not easy.
Do you have to talk a lot with the university administration, or is your work more or less independent?
It is mostly independent, but everything pertaining to the regulations must pass through the administration. We must pay attention to the investors in the university as well as the government, where funds come from. It is a joint effort. For example, we get a lot of French books donated.
You spoke about your collaboration with other universities. Do you also collaborate with religious institutions?
No, but we are open to everyone. We do not have religious books; that is part of our program. The French, who tend to be very secular, are the ones who supply our bookstores and libraries.
Do Burkinabé citizens pay taxes that go towards education?
Yes. There is a tax that is pulled from your salary. Each worker has a portion taken. It is not a free choice. The government decides where these funds go—it is a function of charges.
During the election period, is education a topic that is important for politicians or the people?
Yes, they talk a lot about education. In fact, it accounts for about ten percent of what they say. They want to have votes, and because the population is very poor, it suffices to give only a little bribe and a little promise. Especially in the countryside, people are so poor. They are naïve and the majority are illiterate. Frankly, this is how politicians win.
Are most Burkinabè politicians educated here, or do they go abroad to study?
Most have gone abroad—in Europe, sometimes in other parts of Africa, but that is very rare. These are people who already have connections. Most are familiar with foreign places—90 percent of politicians, I would say.
Several students have talked about student organizations and movements, like the student unions for activists at the university; how is your work at the bookstore affected by this? When there are strikes, for example?
Yes, these are a big part of university culture. They decide everything. My work at the bookstore is not really affected—it stays open. It is only the courses that close. The strikes do not touch the administration. They take security measures so things do not get too crazy. Sometimes students break things. So we have to close up everything. It is fairly often that demonstrations are violent. At the beginning, they are always peaceful. But they become violent. People start throwing rocks. Sometimes the politicians use these student groups. Because it is a force, all those students.
What are your interactions like with professors and faculty?
They come individually, but not directly. They usually pass through the administration to order what they want. They often do not pay. They just photocopy, photocopy, photocopy! It is complicated when students do not have scholarships. It becomes difficult, especially for those studying medicine, where they have to have expensive books.
How many scholarships are there? Are they given by the university or by the government?
Each year, there are about 15 to 16 scholarships to study abroad. Often they go to Morocco. You must score around a 15 on your BAC [baccalaureate exam] to get those. There are a lot more national scholarships—you just have to take the BAC and receive a certain score, I think a 13. It depends on the age and the means whether every student with this score can receive a scholarship. It is easier to get them if you are a girl. They are trying to increase girls’ education—it is an initiative of the government.
Are there any other initiatives of the government or the university to empower girls?
There are services at the university. Not a lot.
Are there accelerated programs at the university?
Yes, but because of the chaotic academic calendar, it is hard to standardize honors classes. Professors recently had a six-month strike. So different disciplines did not start at the same time.
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