Introduction
Burkina Faso is a landlocked country with a population of about 12 million people. About 4 million people in Burkina Faso are immigrants. The country’s gross domestic product (GDP) is $2,336 million.

History of Higher Education
Higher education in Burkina Faso dates back to April 24, 1961, with the signature of a cooperation agreement with France. The Institute for Teacher Training (CPES) was created on October 20, 1965 with an aim to provide training for first-cycle secondary teachers.

CPES, the first university structure, later became the Higher Education Training Center of Ouagadougou (CESup), endowed with separate legal status and financial autonomy. At that time, CESup was made up of all the higher education and research structures of the country, including the University College of Humanities, the University Educational Institute, the University Institute of Technology (IUT), the Upper Volta Center for Scientific Research (CVRS), and the Center for Documentation and Educational Development. The CVRS was withdrawn from the CESup on September 25, 1972. CESup was renamed the University of Ouagadougou (UO). Its enrollments at that time were estimated at 374.
Since its inception, the University of Ouagadougou has undergone two periods of reform, in 1985 and 1991. The significant outcome of the 1985 reforms was the multiplication of institutes and schools within the university. In 1991, these institutions were grouped into schools, with the objective of increasing the usefulness and the performance of UO in light of national realities. Ultimately, though, these structures were once again decentralized in 1995-96.

Student Enrollment
Burkina Faso presently counts 11 higher training institutions. Three of them are owned by the state and the others by the private sector. The enrollment of students at the University of Ouagadougou is directly related to the total number of new baccalaureate holders. In 1990-91 for instance, 1,210 new baccalaureate holders out of 1,575 enrolled at the UO; in 1991-92 they were 2,868 out of 3,093 enrolled; in 1992-93, they were 2,673 out of 2,803 enrolled. UO alone hosts 80% of the students of Burkina Faso despite having a real capacity of 8,000 students. The more than 4,000 students repeating the same class during the invalidation of the year 1999-2000 has added to the normal total number of enrollments. Only one in three students is female, while fewer than one in four scholarship students is female.

Faculty
Supervision rates vary tremendously from one institution to another. UO has the least favorable rate, one teacher for every 24 students. The Polytechnic University of Bobo-Dioulasso has the best ratio, with one teacher for every three students. Wages and benefits have remained stable, despite the fact that inflation and devaluation have significantly reduced the standard of living for teachers. As a result, teachers resort to private courses, consultations, and other projects. Teachers face tremendous difficulties to obtain teaching materials and recent publications in their specialty, which are necessary tools for research and the renewal of the course content; to take advantage of new information and communication technologies such as computers; and to afford the fees for a long stay abroad for research and personal development.

Appropriate libraries and laboratories for faculty research work are, in many fields, insufficient or nonexistent. For instance, no practical doctoral program can be undertaken and achieved at UO in applied rather than theoretical physics.

*Administrative, technical, and support staff and laborers.

Legend: A: Assistants; ACM:Central Maintenance Workshop; ATOS: Administrative, technical, laborers and support staff; BUC: Main Library of the University; MA: Senior Lecturer; MC: Associate Professor; ETP: Full-time teacher; OB: Baccalaureate Office; UFR: Research and Training Unit; LAC: Literature, Arts and Communication; SDS: Health Sciences; SEA: Exact and Applied Sciences; SEG: Economics and Management; SH: Humanitis; SJP: Legal and political Sciences; SVT: Life and Earth Sciences.

Administration and Governance
The administrations of the UO and Bobo-Dioulasso are made up of five levels of decision making: the board of directors, the university assembly (or the council in charge of training and university life), the university council, institutions, and departments.

The board of directors is comprised of the representatives of the ministry of secondary, higher, and scientific research education; the ministry of finance; the ministry of public service; the ministry of health; the ministry of employment; a representative of the Chamber of Commerce; representatives of the administrative staff; the trade union movement; teachers; and students. The duration of the mandate of the members of the board of director is three years and is renewable only once.

The assembly of the university, the Council of the Foundation and the Life of the University (CFVU), is responsible for deciding university policy. This structure is academic and administrative in its nature. No far-reaching decision can be taken without the agreement of the assembly. The rector summons the assembly of the university at least twice a year. The members of the assembly are the directors, the representatives of the teaching, administrative, technical, laborers staff; students, the CNRST, the ministry of employment, the chamber of commerce, and for consultation purposes, the directors of central services.

The rector or the chancellor supervises the running of all the institutions of the university. The rector is assisted in his function by the vice-chancellors. The secretary general also assists in the management of the university. He supervises social services and is responsible for the administrative and technical coordination of activities and also higher institutions. The directors of the UFR are responsible for the institutions and report to the rector.

An investigation carried out in 1998 found that 56% of teachers thought that the management of the administration is not efficient. Faculty often complain about administrative bottlenecks, the lack of autonomy of the institutions and the rector’s procedure.

Research and Publication
The National Center for Scientific and Technological Research (CNRST) contributes to the agricultural and technological development of the country. Teachers and researchers at UO have performed the best in the region on various tests organized by the CAMES. The CAMES is an institution made up of 14 Francophone African countries that makes grounded and scientific analysis of works of teachers and researchers in the sub-region.

Some hoped that the creation of the position of a vice dean responsible for research and development within each faculty from 1991-2000 would result in a greater coordination of research activities and a greater dissemination of research results nationally. Most of the research centers that should have been created for a rational use of scientific equipment and the coordination of actions around utilitarian and fundamental goals have not yet been developed.

In 1996, Burkina Faso adopted a Strategic Plan for Scientific Research (PSRS) that set out the essential needs for the social development of the country and the well-being of the population. Several publications in Burkina Faso publish academic research. These include The Annual Annals of the University of Ouagadougou, The Annual Scientific and Technical Review of CNRST, The Half Yearly Review: CEDRES Studies, and The Annual Burkinabé Review of Law. These reviews have reading committees that include professors from the University of Burkina Faso and researchers from CRNST.

Private Education
Private higher education is relatively new to Burkina Faso. The Higher Institute of Computer Sciences (ISIG), established in 1992, was the first private institution of higher education in the country. Since 1996, a number of institutions have opened, including the College of Applied Sciences (ESSA) in Bobo-Dioulasso in 1996, the Training Center in Computer Science and Management (CEFIG) in 1997, the Private Polytechnic College (ISPP) in 1998, the College of Commerce (ESCO-IGES) in 1999, and the Free University of Burkina (ULB) in 2000. The Private education institutions include:

• The Free University of Burkina (ULB) at Ouagadougou, which has 135 students and 19 teachers;
• The Higher Institute of Computer Science and Management (ISIG), which has 550 students and 60 teachers;
• Private Polytechnic Higher Institute (ISPP), which has 279 students and 35 teachers;
• The Higher Institute of Technology (IST), which has 62 students and 24 teachers;
• The College of Applied Sciences (ESSA), which has 231 teachers and 38 students;
• The College of Commerce (ESCO-IGES), which has 300 students and 62 teachers;
• The Training Center in Computer Science and Management (CEFIG), which has 81 students and 28 teachers; and
• The School of Sciences and Computer Technics of Faso (ESTIF), which has 43 students and 17 teachers.

Financing and Resources
The state-owned universities have a budget mainly based on subsidies from the state, but public funds are insufficient to cover all of their operating expenses. Some additional funds are currently provided by bilateral or multilateral cooperation, as well as resources generated by the university. In the past, currency devaluation has negatively impacted the monetary value of the budget.

The total number of students at UO varied from 4,216 to 9,523 in 1995 and reached up to 10,000 in 1999. With the increase in the number of students and decline in the subsidy from the state, the university has been forced to find better ways to generate its own resources, especially through the university library, the university press, and the guest house. School fees of Burkinabé students were increased in October 1998 in an effort to improve financial resources.

Note: For detailed account on the state of higher education in Burkina Faso, please consult: Wendengoudi Guenda, African Higher Education: An International Reference Handbook (Damtew Teferra and Philip. G. Altbach, eds., Indiana University Press, 2003), pp. 195-203.