Education in Benin: The AMEs are raising their voices against the prolonged silence of the government on their reinstatement
Anger is once again growing among the Aspiring Teacher Students (ATS). Gathered at the Cotonou Labor Exchange, representatives from three main platforms engaged in their struggle, namely the National Crucible of Aspiring Teacher Students (NCATS), the Platform for Defense and Solidarity of Secondary ATS (PDSS-SN) and the “Negotiate Your Cause Aspiring Student” (NYCAS) platform, held a press conference to denounce the government’s persistent inaction regarding their conversion into Public Law Contract Agents of the State (PLCAS).
Illustration: Benews
Speaking on behalf of the three platforms, Rodoine Montanh, spokesperson for the NCATS, painted a bleak picture of the situation that the ATS have been experiencing for over six years.
“It is unimaginable that in 2025, teachers who work daily for national education are still treated like service providers, marginalized and without any prospect of stability,” he lamented.
According to the speakers, the ATS are today victims of a real “modern slavery”, despite the commitments made by the government at the Ministers’ Council on December 7, 2022. That day, the executive announced the gradual conversion of ATS into the public service, a promise that has since gone unfulfilled.
Government silence deemed worrisome
Through this media outing, the three platforms not only denounce the inaction, but also the “diversion and division maneuvers” orchestrated, according to them, by the authorities to weaken the mobilization. “Instead of frank dialogue and concrete implementation of the announced decisions, we have been fed confusing statements and a total lack of political will,” they asserted.
The ATS demands are clear: an immediate conversion, unconditional, into PLCAS, before the 2025-2026 school year. This measure, they insist, is not only a social requirement, but also a necessity to avoid “sacrificing a generation of teachers”, many of whom are nearing retirement age without having obtained a dignified status.
Call for national mobilization
In a firm declaration, the three platforms call on all ATS, across the entire national territory, to maintain their mobilization and intensify the pressure. “The time for passive waiting is over. It’s time for each aspiring student to stand up and demand respect for their rights,” they emphasized.