Analysis of the Factors that Explain the Non-Completion of the Curriculum : A Study of the Teaching Time in Primary Schools in Madagascar

The present study has been carried out for grade 2 schools in the CISCO Toamasina 2, one of the weakest CISCOs, exposed to problems related to the climate and agriculture. The investigation techniques used were questionnaires, interviews, class observations and the consultation of archive documents in the schools. These have revealed that in these areas, teaching time is seriously curtailed; this is mainly caused by the repeated and extended absences of both teachers and pupils, due to long distances that separate the school from the nearest town, to climatic hazards, or to various family obligations. These unfortunate circumstances all contribute to the non-completion of the curriculum and to poor school results. These problems may be overcome through actions by the Ministry through the sensitization of parents, the improvement of road infrastructure, the training of teachers in class management, and the readjustment of the school calendar. But in return, that will require a moral commitment on the part of parents to send their children to school, whatever the season. This study has also revealed many other problems such as those related to gender, which cause girls to be more often absent than boys during the school year, or those related to teachers' in service training which does not always address the problems of everyone concerned.