Education in Mali

Education in Mali is considered a fundamental right of Malians. 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. Mali has recently seen large increases in school enrollment due to educational reforms.

Mali has a long history about education, dating back to the years before 1960, when Mali was under the rule of France. After gaining independence, the Malian government made many efforts to incorporate more African and bilingual education into classrooms. 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.

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. Especially since Islam is the main religion in Mali, madrassas and medersas are two Islamic institutions which many Malians attend. 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. In recent years, many communities have created initiatives to incorporate deaf and disabled students into classrooms.

With approximately half of Malians ages 15-24 illiterate, literacy has been an issue of concern for the Malian government. National programs to address this issue focus on first giving students the knowledge they need to read and write. 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. One famous example of a literacy project Mali took part in is the Experimental World Literacy Program.

The differences between French, Mali's national language, and local languages have caused many problems in education. Access, geographic location, gender bias, and the quality of education are also issues that many Malians face. Food, nutrition, disease, disability, and educational inefficiencies contribute to some of the problems with education in this country. Nevertheless, there have been many domestic and foreign initiatives to confront some of these issues. 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.