Education in Mali

Mali has been facing a security crisis for several years now, which has severely compromised access to education for thousands of school-age children, particularly in the north.

Threats against schools and destruction of school infrastructure and equipment led to a shortage of teachers in affected areas and a breakdown in the pedagogical support system due to massive population displacements.

There has also been a severe financial crisis for families in affected zones, making it difficult to send children to schools in Mali.

The government gave the instruction to unconditionally accommodate displaced students in the South, leading to an overcrowding, affecting the quality of education.

While the education sector in Mali has made significant progress towards extending basic education opportunities for all, it’s still facing many challenges:

• The primary completion rate and gender parity index are low, with a high gender gap especially in secondary.
• The quality of education still needs to be enhanced.
• Repetition and dropout rates are high.

The vision of the 2019-2028 Education sector plan (Programme Décennal de Développement de l’Éducation et de la Formation Professionnelle Deuxième Génération) is that, by 2028, the country will have a well-functioning, inclusive education system that will prepare citizens for productive, patriotic, and creative contributions to the socio-economic development of their country.

The sector plan is complemented by the 2020 Humanitarian Response Plan, which features a brief section on humanitarian education aid, targeting out-of-school internally displaced populations.

The education component of the country’s emergency intervention strategy aims to:

• Provide a quality education to children who are out-of-school.
• Promote equitable access to education in a protective environment.
• Strengthen education system resilience.

As part of its investment in civil society advocacy and social accountability efforts, GPE’s Education Out Loud fund is supporting the Civil society partnership for advocacy for non-formal education led by Groupe de Recherche et d'Action pour le Développement (GRADE) for the 2021-2024 period.

Mali also previously received support from the Civil Society Education Fund (CSEF).

Learn more

• Mali is part of the KIX Africa 21 hub.
• KIX research projects:
  • The Forum of African Women Educationalists’ gender-sensitive school model as an innovative response to the challenge of gender equality
  • Common-scale assessment of early and foundational math learning across the Global South
  • A New Model of Bridging Classes to Improve Learning of Out-of-School Children and Youth
  • Observatory on COVID-19 Responses in Educational Systems in Africa