Global abstract for the symposium
Theories, researches and practices in vocational psychology and career counseling have been criticized because they almost exclusively focus on populations of western societies (Blustein, 2013). In the current globalized world, there is then the need to better understand the issues of low-income countries and developing economies, and to adapt the existing career counseling models to these realities (Ribeiro, 2018; Van Esbroeck, 2008). The symposium addresses this challenge by specifically investigating decent work issues in the Sub-Saharan Africa (Togo and Burkina Faso) through both a contextual and a theoretical/empirical lens.
From a contextual perspective, the education systems in these countries have to cope with the double goal of ensuring universal access to school and developing effective vocational training that fosters professionalization and facilitates the access to decent work. Stating the existence of a structural gap between educational outcomes and the labor market needs, presentation 1 and 2 stress among others the necessity, both in Togo and in Burkina Faso, of reforms that take into account the demand of workforce, such as designing entrepreneurship training for students entering the world of work (Atitsogbe et al., 2019).
From a theoretical/empirical lens, the Psychology of Working Theory (PWT, Duffy et al., 2016) seems relevant to address and assess the characteristics, antecedents and consequences of decent work in the Sub-Saharan Africa, as long as it takes into account the specific issues of work in that context. In line with the necessity to adapt the PWT to non-western countries, communications 3 and 4 empirically verify the relevance of some of its assumptions in Togo and Burkina Faso. Despite tending to confirm the suitability of the PWT, they pave the way for reflections on how to better grasp the specific characteristics of meaningful work within these contexts and to consider the social dimension of decent work, which appears to be essential in both countries.
Abstract of the presentation:
The Togolese educational system has undergone new changes and adjustments in the light of the circumstances. Education in Togo, after the country recovered its international sovereignty, sought to equip itself with means of action with the aim of fostering its socioeconomic development while freeing itself from colonial burdens. Numerous legal and institutional arrangements will then be put in place for a more dynamic contextualization of Togolese education. Indeed, during a three five-year period (1970-1985), the public authorities, in the cyclical economic buoyancy, implemented the 1975 education reform in order to bring it into conformity with the requirements of the international institutions such as UNESCO. This reform had three objectives: (i) give all children equal opportunity and build an effective school system through the provision of appropriate teaching materials; (ii) train and motivate teachers, following an active and participative pedagogy;(iii) adapt the educational system to the realities of the country and direct it towards a greater professionalization. To that end, and in accordance with the provisions of Order No. 087 / MEPSA / CAB / SG of August 26, 2010 concerning the internal reorganization of the Ministry of Primary, Secondary Education and Literacy, in its article 104, Educational and Career Counselling has been rehabilitated under the name of Centre National d’Information et d’Orientation Scolaire et Professionnelle (CNIOSP) [National Centre for Information and Vocational Guidance]. Despite this concern to make the educational system a means of promoting human capital formation more effective, tremendous difficulties hinder its implementation. These difficulties are related to the lack of reference documents, the shortfall of counsellors in educational and vocational guidance and a lack of communication. Moreover, the lack of connection between several institutions (e.g., career counseling services and the National Agency for Employment) have made the transition from education to work more difficult for young graduates. Some studies conducted in Togo have attempted to analyze the transition from education to work, especially the entrepreneurial behavior of young job applicants (Pari, 2014, Pari, Kazimna and Adita, 2016, Pari, Kazimna and Amedjrovo, 2018). These studies reveal among respondents a preference for paid employment. The underlying assumption that this study seeks to examine, is the inadequacy of an entrepreneurial culture in the practices of the current education system that should be reviewed.