Sissili: The Boura Basic Education District (CEB) celebrated the closing of its sports and cultural activities for the Organization of Sport and Culture in Primary Schools (OSCEP) on May 8 and 9, 2026. Under the theme "Sport and Culture in Primary Schools in a Context of Resilience and Social Cohesion," this edition mobilized more than 6,000 students from 40 schools, marking a return to peace in this commune of the Sissili province. The ceremony was presided over by the Prefect, President of the Special Delegation of Boura, in the presence of the Provincial Director of Preschool, Primary, and Non-Formal Education for Sissili, Soungalo Traore.
According to Burkina Information Agency, for forty-eight hours, the town of Boura celebrated its school-aged youth. The festivities, which began on May 8th with an aerobics session at the El Hadj Ibrahim Kama Nadie School, gave way to a variety of competitions: board games, athletics, and cultural events. In traditional dance, the Bazeno school emerged victorious, while Loum dominated in modern dance and Pensiaka in theater.
The highlight of this event was the official ceremony on May 9th, marked by the performance of the national anthem in the Sissala language by students from the CEBNF. The head of the Boura Basic Education District (CCEB) and coordinator of the event, Issoufou Gandema, reminded everyone that despite the challenges posed by insecurity, hope remains.
'Certainly, calm has returned thanks to the remarkable work of the security forces and the volunteers, but we must not let our guard down. In such a context, the issues of resilience and social cohesion are all the more relevant. We have a moral and societal obligation to maintain cohesion among ourselves, the cement of our living together,' said Mr. Gandema.
However, the CCEB Gandema did not hide the structural challenges. It revealed a school dropout rate of 5.54%, representing 203 cases out of 6,634 students, and advocated for increased material and IT resources, housing for teachers in remote areas, and improved access to drinking water in schools. Despite this, it expressed its ambition to achieve a 95% pass rate on the 2026 CEP (Certificate of Primary Education).
The Secretary General of OSCEP, Zakaria Sana, expressed his gratitude for the unwavering support of the armed forces (FDS and VDP) and local authorities. Following him, the representative of the sponsor, Celestin Poda, appealed for solidarity: 'I urge all the sons and daughters of the commune to work together to move the commune forward. We are ready to support such initiatives aimed at passing on values ??to the younger generation.'
For her part, the Prefect, President of the Special Delegation, Judith Diasso/Kanyala, encouraged parents to support the school more to guarantee the future of children, while congratulating the stakeholders for the success of the event.
From a purely sporting perspective, the football final lived up to all expectations. The team from the Kietou Public Primary School won with a score of one goal to zero, thus succeeding the Bouara school as trophy winners.
The awards ceremony was also marked by the solidarity of the general management of the Scolfilles project, which offered bicycles to students Sawadogo Salome from Bourkom and Poda B. Larissa from Bozo, in order to encourage female excellence.