Education in Mali - Secondary Education

Secondary Education

Increased spending on primary education, especially for children in rural areas and girls, has had the unintended effect of overtaxing the secondary school system. At the end of their primary schooling, students may take entrance exams for secondary school admissions, called the diplôme d’étude fondamentale (Fundamental Studies Diploma or DEF). In 2008 more than 80,000 students passed these exams, yet around 17,000—40% of whom were girls—were denied placement in secondary schools. While the government contends these students should be placed in limited places based on their diploma, their age, and their academic history, some Malians contend that gender discrimination plays a role in denying spots to girls.

The government has stressed primary education funding, hoping to reach universal primary education by 2015 in line with the international Millennium Development Goals, but the Basic Education Minister of Mali says that this has overtaxed the secondary school system. The government reported that from 2002 to 2007, the percentage of girls enrolled in primary school increased from 56 percent to 68 percent and boys from 78 percent to 88 percent. At the same time the government estimates 35 percent of primary school students in the 2010 graduating class will not meet Secondary School requirements. The government plans to invest in an expanded system of both Secondary academic vocational education to meet the demand.

Students in Mali pay no tuition fees, but private secondary and vocational schooling may charge $600 a year (in Bamako, 2008), in a nation where the average yearly salary was $500 in 2007 according to the World Bank.