During the New Year’s greetings ceremony held on January 12, 2026, in Bamako, education emerged as a central focus of the expectations expressed to the transitional authorities.
The founding families of the capital, Bamako, publicly called for 2026 to be a year dedicated to education, presented as a lever for sovereignty, national cohesion, and long-term development.
While not formally proclaimed at this stage, this focus has been incorporated into the political discourse at the beginning of the year.
The head of state has included education in the strategic vision of the transition, alongside security, economic, and institutional priorities.
This convergence between social actors, religious authorities, and the executive branch reflects a shared desire to place schools, training, and human capital at the heart of the national project.
This emphasis on education comes in a context marked by significant weaknesses in the school system.
According to consolidated data from the Education Cluster, approximately 2,000 schools remained closed in 2025,
primarily due to insecurity, population displacement, and teacher shortages.
These closures deprived more than 600,000 children of regular access to education, significantly impacting educational continuity in several regions of central and northern Mali.
National examination results also reflect these imbalances. In 2025, pass rates for the Basic Education Diploma and the Baccalaureate remained below pre-security crisis averages, reflecting disparities in access to education, class disruptions, and strain on school infrastructure.
Technical and humanitarian partners, including UNICEF, are raising concerns about the cumulative effects of these
vulnerabilities, including increased school dropout rates, child labour, and exposure to various forms of vulnerability.
In many rural areas, schools remain one of the few essential public services still accessible to communities.
In this context, the stated objectives for 2026 are seen by observers as a much-anticipated political signal. However, their impact will depend on budgetary decisions, sectoral reforms, and the implementation mechanisms chosen.
In a country where nearly half the population is under 18, the choices made in the education sector in 2026 are expected to have a lasting impact on stability, social cohesion, and development prospects.
MD/Sf/fss/as/APA