Education in Ivory Coast

This article needs to be updated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (September 2009)

Education in Ivory Coast continues to face many challenges. Among sub-Saharan African countries, Ivory Coast has one of the highest literacy rates.^[1] According to The World Factbook - Central Intelligence Agency as of (2019, 89.9% of the population age 15 and over can read and write in Ivory Coast were respectively literate) facts.^[1] The literacy rate for adults remains low: in 2000, it was estimated that only 48.7% of the total population was literate (60.8% of males and 38.6% of females).^[2] Many children between 6 and 10 years are not enrolled in school, mainly children of poor families.^[3] The majority of students in secondary education are male. At the end of secondary education, students can sit the Baccalauréat examination. The country has universities in Abidjan (Université de Cocody), Bouaké (Université de Bouaké), and Yamoussoukro (Institut National Polytechnique Félix Houphouët-Boigny).

The Human Rights Measurement Initiative (HRMI)^[4] finds that the Ivory Coast is fulfilling only 65.1% of what it should be fulfilling for the right to education based on the country's level of income.^[5] HRMI breaks down the right to education by looking at the rights to both primary education and secondary education. While taking into consideration the Ivory Coast's income level, the nation is achieving 85.1% of what should be possible based on its resources (income) for primary education but only 45.1% for secondary education.^[5]