Your go-to source for in-depth coverage of political developments, economic trends, social affairs, and vibrant cultural stories from across the continent.
The University of Abomey-Calavi (UAC) has officially inaugurated its state-of-the-art Optical Mark Recognition Correction Centre (CCLO), marking a major step forward in Benin’s commitment to academic excellence and digital transformation in higher education.
The ceremony, held on Wednesday, June 18, was attended by senior university officials and representatives from the Ministry of Health and Education.
The launch of the centre reflects Benin’s strategic investment in cutting-edge educational infrastructure, with funding of approximately $100,000 provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) Benin.
With the establishment of this centre, Benin becomes the third Francophone country in West Africa—after Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal—to implement this advanced evaluation technology.
Designed to automate the correction of multiple-choice question papers, the system can process over 7,000 exam scripts in just one hour, offering an unprecedented leap in grading speed and accuracy.
During the event, officials were given a guided tour of one of the composition halls where the new system will be used.
The tour underscored the transformative potential of the CCLO, not just in streamlining the assessment process but also in enhancing fairness and transparency in student evaluations.
For years, the Faculty of Health Sciences at UAC has faced mounting challenges due to soaring student enrolments.
Lecturers often struggled under the weight of time-consuming manual grading, particularly in high-volume courses.
The new centre aims to relieve this pressure by automating the correction process, especially for multiple-choice exams, ensuring quicker feedback and more consistent grading standards.
“The CCLO is more than just a tool—it is a signal of our ambition to modernise our education system and compete on a regional level,” one university official remarked during the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
With this move, Benin signals a strong commitment to innovation in education and positions itself at the forefront of digital transformation in West African academia.
