Education in Senegal

Primary and Secondary Education

Articles 21 and 22 of the Constitution adopted in January 2001 guarantee access to education for all children."Botswana". [http://usinfo.state.gov/infousa/economy/ethics/docs/tda2005.pdf "2005 Findings on the Worst Forms of Child Labor"] . Bureau of International Labor Affairs, U.S. Department of Labor (2006). "This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.] Education is compulsory and free up to the age of 16. However, due to limited resources and low demand for secular education in areas where Islamic education is more prevalent, the law is not fully enforced. In 2002, the gross primary enrollment rate was 80 percent, and the net primary enrollment rate was 69 percent. Gross and net enrolment ratios are based on the number of students formally registered in primary school and therefore do not necessarily reflect actual school attendance. In 2000, 41.2 percent of children ages 5 to 14 years were attending school. Primary school attendance statistics are not available for Senegal. As of 2001, 80 percent of children who started primary school were likely to reach grade 5.

The Ministry of Labor has indicated that the public school system is unable to cope with the number of children that must enroll each year. As a result, many school-aged children seek to obtain education and training through more informal means. A large number apprentice themselves to a shop, where they receive no wages. One government official estimated there are 100,000 children apprenticed in Dakar. The ANSD reports that as of 2001, 32.5 percent of children aged 10-14 had begun their professional lives.

Universities

Senegal's main Universities include the Cheikh Anta Diop University in the capital of Dakar and the Gaston Berger University in St. Louis, which sits north of Dakar on the coast. The instruction is mainly in Senegal's official language of French.

References

*Mamadou Cissé: "Langues, Etat et société au Sénégal", in Sudlangues [http://www.sudlangues.sn/article94.html ] ,december 2005.