Decree No. 2026-1112 of May 21, 2026, establishes the Certificate of Completion of Elementary Studies (CFEE), a single diploma marking the end of elementary school in Senegal, and eliminates the entrance exam for 6th grade. In practice, this reform could improve the rate of progression to middle school and reduce inequalities related to preliminary exams.

The CFEE is now organized centrally, from administering the exams to publishing the results. Candidates who obtain an average of at least 5/10 across all exam components are declared successful.

In Chapter V of the decree, the transition to 6th grade is addressed in Article 20, which stipulates that "the conditions for transitioning to 6th grade in general secondary education or in vocational training structures are defined by decree".

With the exam scheduled for June 17 and 18, 2026 just days away, and while awaiting the issuance of the administrative act (decree) defining the procedures, parents are wondering about the criteria for moving from CM2 to 6th grade.

During a regional committee meeting on school exams, parents inquired about "the possibility of automatic transition to 6th grade after the elimination of the competition, wondering if this depends on success in the CFEE or also on the annual average of compositions, without the need to obtain the diploma."

Today, we don't yet know what is being proposed and we are waiting for the decree to be published to understand...

Education authorities report that "the issue has been discussed between stakeholders and decisions or proposals have been made at the central authority level, which will take the necessary measures."

Nevertheless, before the abolition of entry into 6th grade, some academies, based on the obligation of 10 years of schooling, with law 2004-37, which states that a student must complete their entire course up to 3rd grade without being excluded, relied on this law to move good students who succeeded in the CFEE without having obtained entry into 6th grade to the middle grade.

In parallel with today's discourse, even just from this regulatory standpoint, the elimination is justified. According to the Matam school inspector, "Previously, it was a matter of space and numbers. There weren't many schools, so selection was necessary to filter applicants. Now that this is no longer the case, and we are also adopting a competency-based approach."

Moreover, the proposal to eliminate the entrance exam for 6th grade is a significant turning point, as this measure aims to reduce obstacles to academic perseverance and align the system with current sustainable development requirements and the Senegal 2050 plan. This moves towards a more inclusive system, less competitive at an early age, and one that values students' natural progress. The single certificate that concludes elementary school allows for standardized assessments and limits premature distinctions that exacerbated inequalities.

However, the fact that the precise conditions for passing remain to be defined raises practical questions: how to reconcile success in the final diploma and student progress.