For the first time, the Adolescent Non-Formal Education Network (ANFEN) has assessed the performance of its pupils in the Certificate of Primary Education (CPE). The CPE pass rate for 2006 has reached 58 %. As no previous calculations had been made during the past years, it is not possible to compare the rate with previous years. However, Bernard d’Argent, who is in charge of the network, makes it clear that in view of their previous difficulties – having been completely rejected by the school system and having failed the exam several times – “I am happy to see that many of them have finally succeeded”.

Most children at Anfen indeed come from extremely poor backgrounds and education is far from being at the centre of their preoccupations.

The traditional school system does not cater for children with extremely difficult backgrounds because they have a programme to follow and other pupils have to be ready to sit for the exams. Children pointed at a lack of care from their teachers who told them that they “would never pass” to explain why they did not repeat the CPE. Therefore, in the light of their continuous failures at school exams, some of them decided to drop out from school at a very early age… Until they were “picked up” by Anfen.

As Bernard d’Argent rightly points out, “we are only a safety net” which has been set up to cater for children who were no longer hopeful that they could acquire some knowledge at school. And this is why he is so anxious when he sees the rising number of new students attending Anfen schools reaching 311 for 2007. “If the number of our students is on the rise, it may mean that more and more children are being rejected by the mainstream and this is quite worrying,” Bernard d’Argent commented. “It should always be borne in mind that the ultimate aim of Anfen is to disappear rapidly, as it would mean that all children had found their place in the normal system,” he added.