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.
History
Education during French colonial rule During the French colonization of West Africa, the French Navy constructed some of the first schools in Mali. In 1877, the French introduced the first public schools to Mali which were collectively known as the Schools of Hostages, a name inspired by the tensions between the French and indigenous chiefs. However, by 1899, these public schools were renamed to the Schools for Sons of Chiefs, or Les Ecoles des Fils des Chefs, as a part of a larger French effort to cooperate with the indigenous population. Joseph Gallieni and Louis Archinard are two individuals who contributed to the opening of some of these first schools during the 19th century.
During the French rule of Mali, the education was mainly geared towards teaching information about France and the French language rather than Malian traditions. Many historians and authors, such as Charles Cutter, believe that Malians did not enjoy many rights during this era and faced an identity crisis while assimilating to French culture. To avoid this crisis, Malians relied on maintaining oral traditions. Additionally, many Malians sent their children to traditional and Islamic schools in an effort to have their children learn more about the cultural traditions of Mali. For example, in Kayes, after the first French schools opened up, ethnic groups decided to send their children to madrassas and medersas, or private Islamic schools taught in Arabic. These ethnic groups, along with many others in Mali, believed that sending children to these schools was a way to make a political and religious statement, acquire merit, and create an African-Muslim identity. In 1906, the French created their own version of medersas in Djenné and Timbuktu in the French language, which allowed students to pursue career opportunities within the French administration.
The French passed the Ordinance of November 24th, 1903 which developed public education in French West Africa. This was part of a larger effort to create more primary and regional schools. Specifically, this ordinance developed more schools at various levels ranging from the local level to the secondary and vocational levels. Additionally, it allowed teachers to gain more experience and training. Although this ordinance made major breakthroughs in the development of schools, historians such as Boniface Obichere cite it as being discriminatory against native Malians.
Education post-independence
In 1960, Mali gained independence from France. Immediately following independence, only about a tenth of Malians were literate and attending school. During this time period, many West African politicians were a part of the Rassemblement Démocratique Africain, which was a political group that partially focused on developing educational and literacy opportunities in West African communities. In fact, Modibo Keïta, the first President of Mali, used this ideology along with his socialist philosophy to develop a new educational system in 1962. This system focused on tooling Malians with skills to contribute to the nation's economy. Additionally, it split up the educational structure into two ministries. Specifically, the Ministry of Basic Education, Youth and Sports oversaw primary education whereas the Ministry of Higher and Secondary Education and Scientific Research was put in charge of education higher than the primary level.
In 1980, when Mali was governed under a dictatorship, literacy percentages fell to levels as low as 13.6% for adults and 25.6% for Malians ages 15 to 24. However, a democratic movement in the 1990s resulted in the government making education more accessible by lowering educational fees and increasing the production of schools. By 2000, those same literacy percentages increased by 26.7% and 38.7% respectively. Additionally, by 1999, the government officially recognized bilingual education since most families spoke in one of fifty-six local languages. Nevertheless, as mentioned in a study by Jaimie Bleck on the Malian capital of Bamako, this liberalization of education led to the crowding of students in public schools and a shift in interest towards private schools. For example, some sections of Bamako have over 40% of students enrolled in private schools.
Educational structure
Cycles of schooling In the 1980s, Malian education followed a two cycle system. During the first cycle, children began their education in state schools at the age of seven or eight for six years before taking the CEP Exam which stands for the Certificate de Fin d'Etudes du Premier Cycle in French. Many students found the first cycle to be difficult, especially because Malian schools were primarily in French, a language that most Malians, especially those that lived in rural areas, had little experience with. Thus, 1 in 6 students in the first cycle opted to attend medersas. Afterwards, a student who successfully completed the second cycle of education, which took three years, was eligible to take an examination known as the Diploma in Basic Education also known as the Diplôme d'Etudes Fondamentales. After 2012, the government merged these two cycles into one, but the examinations that the students had to take stayed in place. Currently, children ages 7 to 15 are required to attend school, which lasts from October to June every year.
Government hierarchy
The Malian education system is hierarchical in governance. The National Minister and the National Directorate of Higher Education are both in charge of public universities at the national level. The AE which stands for the Académies d'Enseignement heads regional education. Additionally, the CAP or Centres for Pedagogical Activities is responsible for local education.
Public education is directed and funded from the national level.Ministry of Education . Retrieved 2009-02-10 The Ministry has two Ministerial level officers, each heading one independent arm of the Ministry. The Ministre de L’Education de Base, de L’Alphabétisation et des Langues Nationales (Ministry of Basic Education, Literacy, and National Languages) is responsible for Primary education, literacy programs outside the schools, and the promotion and standardization of "National Languages", such as Bambara and Tamcheq, other than the official language, French.
The Ministre des Enseignements Secondaire, supérieur et de la Recherche scientifique (Ministry of Secondary and Superior Education, and Scientific Research) is tasked with government Secondary schools, university, and an array of vocational, technical, and research centres. As of 2008, the Minister of Basic Education, Literacy, and National Languages was Sidibe Aminata DialloMinistre de L’Education de Base, de L’Alphabétisation et des Langues Nationales .Retrieved 2009-02-10 and the Minister of Secondary and Superior Education, and Scientific Research was Amadou Toure.Ministre des Enseignements Secondaire, supérieur et de la Recherche scientifique .Retrieved 2009-02-10
Primary schools
Public schools The Malian Ministry of Education is responsible for managing public schools in Mali. These secular schools are taught in Mali's national language, French. Many parents often pay fees for their children to attend these schools which is considered illegal according to Malian law. Additionally, teachers are kept under a contract which limits the amount of training these educators have access to prior to beginning teaching. This leads to frequent strikes, a shortage of teachers, and large class sizes.
Private schools Compared to their public counterparts, private schools in Mali are more expensive to attend. These extra resources paired with lower amounts of government regulation allow these institutions to have smaller class sizes. They also give students employment connections after graduation. Like public schools, these institutions are also mainly taught in French, but they can be secular or religious. Mali has many private Christian schools which are mainly managed by the Catholic church.
Secondary, tertiary, and higher education
After primary education, students can choose to continue upon their academic track and attend a lycée for three years which ends with an exam called the Baccalaureat. Doing well on this examination can help students gain admission to universities for higher and tertiary education. Conversely, Malian students can take a more pre-professional track and opt to attend a two or four year vocational program to obtain a technical degree. These forms of education have generally diversified over the past few years, since many students are now literate in many different languages such as Arabic, French, Latin, and local languages. One famous example of a long lasting secondary school in Mali is the Higher Technical School.