Tambacounda/Éducation :Me Sidiki-Kaba, Parrain de la Journée de l’Excellence de l’Académie.

It is with great pleasure and great emotion that I take the floor, this Saturday, February 04, 2023, on the esplanade of this majestic Mess Circle of the Officers of the Mamadou Lamine DRAME military camp, as sponsor of the ceremony of the celebration of excellence, organized by the Academy Inspectorate of the Tambacounda region. I express, on the occasion, my deep gratitude to the Inspector of the Academy and all his collaborators for this honor which I share, moreover, with all the members of the Government from Senegal, my family and friends. I am all the more pleased that the ceremony that brings us together is an opportunity to celebrate excellence by presenting awards and distinctions to the most brilliant learners, who have distinguished themselves by their academic results and as well as to the most deserving teachers. I would like to articulate my speech around seven messages relating to: digital issues to stick to the theme of this day, students, teachers, parents of students, the State, society and to conclude with a message of peace.  The theme chosen this year for the celebration and promotion of excellence is « Digital distance education: what challenges and prospects for quality education in Senegal«  .  This theme translates the vision of His Excellency Mr. Macky SALL , President of the Republic who, on March 15, 2018 on the occasion of the opening ceremony of the Digital Forum, affirmed, and I quote:  » My ambition to digitize and digitizing Senegal, for the benefit of all, is a democratic requirement. It is part of my renewed ambition to fight against injustice and social inequality  ”. Indeed, faced with the changes in our society, with the significant innovations introduced by digital technology in all areas of life, education could not remain on the sidelines of such a transformation in learning. Highlighting this irreversible evolution of the use of digital, the Head of State created the Virtual University of Senegal in 2013, recently renamed, on January 18, 2023 in the Council of Ministers, « Digital University Cheikh Hamidou Kane ». The Head of State has also set up open digital spaces in all regions for universal access to education and digital technology. These achievements are vectors of digital inclusion and social justice in that they contribute to reducing the digital divide throughout the national territory while contributing to connecting people, communities and territories. Distance education by digital technology at the level of national education cycles is thus inspired by the primary vocation of virtual universities. Today, in the age of knowledge societies and in an ever-changing world dominated by the knowledge economy, the ability to move towards distance education has become crucial. For my part, considering the challenge of digital technology in the training of Learners, Distance education by digital technology at the level of national education cycles is thus inspired by the primary vocation of virtual universities. Today, in the age of knowledge societies and in an ever-changing world dominated by the knowledge economy, the ability to move towards distance education has become crucial. For my part, considering the challenge of digital technology in the training of Learners, Distance education by digital technology at the level of national education cycles is thus inspired by the primary vocation of virtual universities. Today, in the age of knowledge societies and in an ever-changing world dominated by the knowledge economy, the ability to move towards distance education has become crucial. For my part, considering the challenge of digital technology in the training of Learners, In 2016, I built the Multifunctional Training and Learning Center here, in the Depot district of Tambacounda, to fight against the digital divide. This center is equipped with 25 computers free of charge made available to everyone without any discrimination. I built a multipurpose room at the Sada Maka SY school to introduce children to the internet. This is why I also built the multipurpose room at the Lamine Danfakha school to promote digital inclusion. Digital technology has become an instrument of training and education.

Towards Learners  ;the celebration of excellence that brings us together is an appointment marked with the seal of emotion for you, your families and your loved ones. It consecrates the many efforts you have made, with enthusiasm, perseverance and determination, through your extraordinary qualities as committed learners, self-sacrifice, so that the excellent work produced at the end of a demanding year, following the evaluations of your teachers, be magnified and shown as an example to the entire educational community, particularly to future generations who, tomorrow, will take over. The promotion of merit and the cult of excellence that underlie this beautiful ceremony must be a constant shared concern in order to invigorate the cardinal values ​​of work, civic-mindedness and citizenship, which cement our society. In effect, the path to economic emergence primarily follows that of the cult of knowledge, the only one capable of creating the conditions for inclusive and harmonious development. Through your resolute commitment to the path of excellence, you have understood that only knowledge liberates from ignorance and tyranny. On this subject, always keep in mind this thought of the famous philosopher Plato, I quote him:“When fathers get used to letting their children do their thing, when sons no longer take their word into account, when teachers tremble before their pupils and prefer to flatter them, when finally young people despise the laws because they no longer recognize above them the authority of nothing and no one, so that is the very beauty and youthful beginning of tyranny. », end of quote. By committing yourself to the path of excellence, you resolutely refuse to take the risky paths of idleness, to respond to the calls of the furious forces which make the bed of violence and insecurity. /// Dear learners;Nine (09) months of deprivation, attention, listening, and sustained work and here you are rewarded. You will soon receive your prizes and distinctions after the remarkable efforts made by yourselves, your teachers and your parents to achieve your excellent results. This beautiful reward is basically the result of your commitment, your determination and your self-sacrifice to work tirelessly to walk the paths of success and success together. We are both proud and comforted to see that the Tambacounda region is full of brilliant students who can take over with confidence. Supported by your parents and well trained by your teachers, you have resolutely set yourselves on the path to excellence which will open the way to success for you in a constantly changing world. I would like, on the occasion, to warmly congratulate all the recipients while reiterating to you the commitment of the State to support the schools of the region of Tambacounda which do us such honor. Dear learners, when you speak out on an issue or a thing, I urge you to be intellectually cautious. Always cultivate informed knowledge and documented opinion. To do this, pass all your words and deeds through the three sieves or sieves of the Great Thinker Socrates, which are: truth, usefulness and goodness. Always ask yourself these questions: Is what I say true? Is what I say useful? Is what I say something good? If what you have to say isn’t true, good or helpful then don’t say it. Only in this way can you positively impact your life, your community and your society. ///Dear teachers , If today we are so proud to celebrate the best students in the Tambacounda region, we owe it above all to dedicated teachers who excel in the transmission of knowledge. I am pleased to pay tribute to these distinguished teachers who, every day, work to maintain quality education and a school environment where student success and success are a permanent quest. Through your daily commitment to the service of learners and the school, you have certainly appropriated this famous maxim of the philosopher Aristotle, I quote: « Excellence is not an accident, an occurrence but the daily and permanent transcendence of self « end of quote. The gift of self over the shoulder, and well managed by the Academy Inspectorate of the region, you work tirelessly to positively impact the lives of your learners and that of their parents. I congratulate you and thank you very much. Through your time and efforts, you have contributed to the optimal supervision of the students who have won today and to the organization of this beautiful ceremony, a melting pot of excellence, emulation, citizenship and good citizenship. /// Dear parents of students  ;By taking the noble decision to enroll your children in school, you have made a point of respecting this fundamental right to education, guaranteed by the Constitution. By this act, you contribute, helped in this by the State, and model and dedicated teachers, to create an individual aware of his place and his role as an enlightened and responsible citizen.  I urge you to be allies of teachers in education and de facto partners for the development of the child and his success. Well trained, within the framework of this mutually beneficial partnership, the learner sees opening up before him all the opportunities for progress to which he can legitimately aspire and, consequently, contribute to the development of our beautiful country, Senegal.

To the State  ; the right to education is essential for the economic and social development of all societies. The State has the obligation to make school accessible to all children. This is what the State of Senegal has understood by enshrining this right in our fundamental law and by setting up an inclusive and participatory education system. He didn’t stop there. Indeed, the State of Senegal continues to invest more than 25% of its budget in education and training. By this clearly displayed political will, the State of Senegal has adopted this thought of Victor Hugo, who already on June 7, 1878, in his opening speech of the International Literary Congress, recalled, I quote:  » Ignorance is a twilight; evil lurks there. Consider street lighting, yes; but think also, think above all, of enlightening minds” end of quote.  It is in this enlightenment of minds that the State of Senegal certainly fits through the significant investments made in terms of infrastructure, equipment and quality human resources. /// For the role of society in education , the school educates and inculcates values ​​and knowledge for the harmonious development of society. It is a vector of personal development but also of social stability. This is why it is up to society to protect its education system and to ensure that shortcomings and shortcomings in access to school are brought to the attention of decision-makers and to create the conditions for equal access to education for all. ‘school.  The culture of peace necessarily involves quality education that transmits the values ​​of good citizenship, citizenship, the common desire to live together, inclusion and social equity for economic and social development in stability and peace. As Koffi Annan says, and I quote: “Education is a basic human right with immense transformative power. On this base rest the foundations of freedom, democracy and human development . In conclusion, I would like to remind you that the school is the high place of training. It trains future citizens to acquire the values ​​of peace, tolerance, good citizenship and citizenship. Vector of the universal values ​​which establish peace, the school is however not impervious to the phenomena of violence observed in society. Violent speeches, with the amplifying effect of social networks, contribute to undermining the foundations of our common desire to live together. This is why I encourage you to always bear in mind this quote from ABRAHAM LINCOLN: « You can deceive some of the people all the time and all the people some of the time, but you cannot deceive all the people. all the time « .

KEBEKEBA URACSENEGAL