Education in Mali

Image of schooling in Kati, Mali
A school in Kati, Mali.

Education in Mali is considered a fundamental right of Malians.[1] For most of Mali's history, the government split primary education into two cycles which allowed Malian students to take examinations to gain admission to secondary, tertiary, or higher education.[2] Mali has recently seen large increases in school enrollment due to educational reforms.[2]

Mali has a long history about education, dating back to the years before 1960, when Mali was under the rule of France.[3] After gaining independence, the Malian government made many efforts to incorporate more African and bilingual education into classrooms.[4] Additionally, after the 1990s, when the Malian government shifted from a one party system to a democracy, the government created policies which focused on literacy and educational quality.[5]

In addition to primary public and private schools, other types of schools in Mali include vocational and technical institutions, religious schools, community schools, and schools for those with disabilities.[6] Especially since Islam is the main religion in Mali, madrassas and medersas are two Islamic institutions which many Malians attend.[7] Additionally, community schools have become increasingly popular in this country since they are usually more accessible, especially to rural students, and allow students to engage with their communities.[6] In recent years, many communities have created initiatives to incorporate deaf and disabled students into classrooms.[8]

With approximately half of Malians ages 15-24 illiterate, literacy has been an issue of concern for the Malian government.[9] National programs to address this issue focus on first giving students the knowledge they need to read and write.[10] Afterwards, communities and foreign countries try to incorporate post literacy and integrated literacy into educational programs to allow students to utilize their new skills to help the economy and community.[11][12] One famous example of a literacy project Mali took part in is the Experimental World Literacy Program.[12]

The differences between French, Mali's national language, and local languages have caused many problems in education.[10] Access, geographic location, gender bias, and the quality of education are also issues that many Malians face.[13] Food, nutrition, disease, disability, and educational inefficiencies contribute to some of the problems with education in this country.[8][14][15] Nevertheless, there have been many domestic and foreign initiatives to confront some of these issues.[4][16] Additionally, foreign policies, such as those in the United States and France, and community initiatives, such as the mobilization of animatrices, have developed Malian education.[4][16][17]

  1. ^ "Delivering Education For All in Mali (Report) | Oxfam International". www.oxfam.org. 14 July 2014. Retrieved 2019-10-21.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :9 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference :42 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference :16 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Cite error: The named reference :19 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  6. ^ a b Bleck, Jaimie (2015). Education and Empowered Citizenship in Mali. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 71–99. ISBN 9781421417820. OCLC 918941428.
  7. ^ Cite error: The named reference :6 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :10 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference :0 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :21 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  11. ^ Cite error: The named reference :1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  12. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference :8 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ Cite error: The named reference :22 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference :15 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference :14 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ Cite error: The named reference :32 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).