Official legal structure making primary education compulsory and setting the six-year cycle.
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Education in Benin
DATA2025
Primary education compulsory · 6-year primary cycle · 271,890 CEP candidates in 2025
Benin's education law makes primary education compulsory and sets its normal duration at six years. The primary cycle runs from CI through CM2 and culminates in the Certificat d'Études Primaires. For the June 2025 CEP session, the government reported 271,890 registered candidates across 805 examination centres.
Primary status
Compulsory
Primary duration
6 years
CEP candidates
271,890*
CEP exam centres
805*
Benin Education System
| Stage / measure | Structure | Current interpretation | Important note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pre-primary | Before primary school | Two-year nursery stage in the education law | Not the compulsory primary cycle |
| Primary | 6 years | CI, CP, CE1, CE2, CM1, CM2 | Compulsory |
| Lower secondary | Post-primary | Leads toward BEPC | Separate from primary cycle |
| Primary completion exam | CEP | End-of-primary certificate | 271,890 candidates in 2025 |
* Reference period is shown with the figure.
Six-year compulsory primary cycle
Benin's education orientation law states that primary education is compulsory and normally lasts six years. The classes are CI, CP, CE1, CE2, CM1 and CM2.
Primary completion through the CEP
The Certificat d'Études Primaires is the national completion examination for the primary cycle. The government reported 271,890 candidates in the June 2025 session, including 131,660 girls, across 805 centres.
Lower secondary progression
After primary education, students can progress into lower secondary education, where the BEPC is a major completion examination. This page keeps CEP and BEPC counts separate because they refer to different stages and cohorts.
Current-data boundary
The 2025 CEP candidate total is a current examination registration count, not an enrollment total for all primary pupils. It should not be used as a proxy for the size of the primary-school population.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is primary education compulsory in Benin?
Yes. The national education orientation law states that primary education is compulsory.
How long is primary education?
Six years.
Which classes make up the primary cycle?
CI, CP, CE1, CE2, CM1 and CM2.
What is the primary completion examination?
The Certificat d'Études Primaires, or CEP.
How many candidates were registered for the 2025 CEP?
271,890.
How many examination centres were used for the 2025 CEP?
805 centres.
Sources and Methodology
Official 2025 CEP candidate and examination-centre figures.
Official lower-secondary examination context and candidate totals for the 2024 BEPC session.